Murdoch and the Princess
by MX5
Summary: William Murdoch, first officer of the grandest ship in the world, is charged with a special service. He helps to take care of a young princess/heiress to a large mining and jewelry business. After the disaster, he remains in touch with her, only to find out as time goes on, feelings change...
1. Chapter 1

Murdoch and the Princess

_A/N: It's bothered me that I never gave Murdoch his happy ending. I still feel bad that I killed him in my story Look After Her! So here he is in all his glory with a young princess traveling on Titanic to assuage my own personal guilt and write a way out of it. :)_

PART 1: TITANIC

* * *

Murdoch exhaled and leaned on the railing of the bridge, going over the last few days in his mind. He'd never guessed that his reputation would lead him into his current position as a first officer on such a grand ship. The Titanic was the White Star Line's newest flagship after the Olympic and he'd had the privilege now to serve on them both. The faint vibrating of the engines underneath came up through his shoes a little bit, the calm ocean barely rippled, making Murdoch think it looked like stained glass, and the salty air filled his lungs, making him feel very content to be out at sea.

"Telegraph signal from the engine room, sir," Boxhall poked his head out of the wheelhouse and glanced at his superior. "there was a small fire down below in one of the boiler rooms but it's been taken care of. Bell thought you'd better be made aware of it."

"Thank you, Mr. Boxhall." Murdoch's Scottish accent permeated the atmosphere. Boxhall nodded and retreated back into the wheelhouse where he was working on the chart position.

After his shift, he would have to go and finish that letter to Ada which he would post in New York. He had some exciting news for her and he hoped she'd be as excited as he was when he first found out...

"Mr. Murdoch, gentlemen," Captain Smith welcomed them into the White Star Line boardroom where Ismay was sitting nearby with Thomas Andrews, the two appeared to be fussing about something. "come and have a seat." A faint smell of smoke lingered in the room, indicating that Ismay had lit up one of his sulfurous Cuban cigars again.

Lightoller sat near Murdoch, still a little resentful about being demoted from his position from first officer. The second officer's face was taut and unmoving, completely stone-faced. Murdoch knew from experience that the face his friend was making meant that he would take whatever was thrown at them now. Lightoller was very stoic, as all seamen were meant to be.

"All right, we have a last minute arrangement to briefly go over before we set sail in about 2 hours." Murdoch could tell that Lightoller was aching to ask why it wasn't brought up before and Captain Smith seemed to notice that in his old friend.

"We were just made aware of this yesterday, Mr. Lightoller," the captain patiently explained. "have you ever heard of the Worthington family?"  
The officers' faces all changed. "Sir, are they to travel with us?" Moody asked, already nervous. Boxhall and Lowe looked similarly apprehensive as well. Murdoch, Wilde, Smith, and Lightoller, having already had experience with the upperclass society including some royalty, were stoic looking. Lightoller was suppressing a groan, as his last experience was not too pleasant.

"Princess Emilia has booked a last minute passage on the ship, yes," Captain Smith answered. "she is traveling alone, on her way to Canada to help her father with opening up an American branch of their family business."

"Yes, Princess Emilia!" Ismay trumpeted loudly, getting up from his seat and plopping into the vacant one near Boxhall without a word to Mr. Andrews. The designer of the ship looked very irritated as he gathered up his plans and left in a huff. "As you know, she is descended from English and Scandinavian royalty and I expect every officer to be exemplary in their work."

"We are always exemplary, sir." Murdoch quelled his superior without even seeming to. Wilde had to hide a smile, as Murdoch had a real talent for putting out fires that his superiors and the upperclass people were seemingly prone to. He had an easy smile and got along with almost everybody.

Captain Smith recognized Murdoch's pacifying of Ismay and chuckled. "Yes indeed. You all might know that the family is descended from a relation of Queen Victoria, her great-nephew if I remember right."

"Begging your pardon sir, isn't she an heiress to the family business? I forget what the business is exactly." Boxhall inquired. He had seen a few newspaper articles about the princess but none of the words had stuck in his head. Ismay looked at the young officer, aghast and was about to speak as Captain Smith spoke out.

"The Worthington family owns several diamond and gem mines throughout Europe. Princess Emilia's father runs several of them and his sons help him. The princess is the second born in the family, having an elder brother, younger brother and two sisters. Her father Stephen and mother Evelyn spend most of their time keeping all the mines running smoothly. The family attends to their royal duties when they are available and are always giving away charitable donations."

"Sir, didn't they donate money to build a sailor boarding house in Southampton here?"

"Indeed they did, Mr. Wilde. Are there any other questions, gentlemen?"

"Yes. Where will she and her entourage be?"

"Ah, I believe that a passenger canceled at the last minute yesterday and Princess Emilia has gladly taken over the suite. It is right beside the officer's quarters and she will not be traveling with an entourage, Mr. Murdoch."

"Really, sir?"

"We had the privilege of meeting Princess Emilia yesterday," Ismay interjected, causing Captain Smith to glance at Murdoch and roll his eyes with a polite smile. Leave it to Ismay to keep interrupting people and never apologize for it. "she has told us that she does not travel with an entourage, though she has requested an officer to check in on her a few times a day and perhaps escort her to dinner now and then."

"Which officer did she request, sir?" Lowe blinked in the flash of the bright morning light as the sun passed over the window.

"She would like Mr. Murdoch." Ismay bestowed a thin and empty smile on the senior officer. "Princess Emilia heard of you and she was impressed with your reputation. If you are busy and she would like an escort to dinner, her second choice is Mr. Lightoller. She's heard of you both and would very much like to meet you."

Lightoller and Murdoch glanced at each other in unison as the meeting adjourned. Both of them knew a little of Princess Emilia and her family. She was a highly accomplished individual, having risen through her father's company and designing signature one-of-a-kind jewelry collections that kept getting bigger everyday. With the smaller grade precious stones from the mines, Emilia corraled them into an affordable jewelry line for middle class.

The second officer had bought one of Emilia's custom designed necklaces, set in gold and had a cluster of tiny sapphires around a golden colored garnet. His wife had loved it, and wore it every year on their anniversary.

"This will be interesting, Charles," Murdoch found himself saying as they reboarded the ship. "she might be an interesting person to talk to."

"Possibly," Lightoller allowed. "I hope she isn't a stuck up twit like that Hockley lad."

"We will see."

* * *

When boarding time came, Murdoch saw that a large car bogged down with luggage had arrived first. He squinted in the bright light, seeing a figure in a bright yellow dress with a green sash and white gloves. In their time when it was all about opulence and more is better, Princess Emilia had gone in the other direction completely. As she walked up the gangplank, Murdoch saw ample evidence of her devotion to the less is more principle.

Emilia wore the yellow dress well, the white gloves were primly sitting on her hands, the green sash had been tied in the back so that the tails were not dangling out. Her dress had a sweetheart neckline, plunging down to the very edge of her cleavage where her ivory skin showed. Murdoch noticed she was wearing one of her own necklace and earring sets, a little green emerald set in silver shaped like a teardrop. Identical stones were dangling from her ears.

Her roan brown hair was pinned back underneath a small hat which was about the shape of a small stove lid and was set at a jaunty angle. Her wide hazel eyes looked around with wonderment at the ship and looked upon Murdoch cheerfully. Emilia's face was lean and she had a faint spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

"Princess Worthington?" he took her hand she extended towards him and kissed the back of her glove.

"Mr. Murdoch, I presume?" her voice was lively but soft and Murdoch found it pleasant to hear. Emilia grinned shyly, revealing a set of perfect white teeth behind a pair of classic dark pink lips accented with red lipstick.

"That is correct, your highness." Emilia accepted his arm. "May I lead you to your suite?"

"I would be honored, my good sir." she walked with her head high as the sun climbed higher into the sun. "I would like to meet all the other officers when there is time."

"That can be arranged, your highness. Chief officer Wilde and second officer Lightoller are on the bridge now, would you like to meet them?"  
"If I'm not intruding, then yes." Murdoch steered her to the bridge where the two officers looked at the princess and then at Murdoch like he'd lost his head. Lightoller straightened up from leaning on the desk surreptitiously as Wilde's hand went to his hat, making sure he looked every inch the professional officer.

"Gentlemen, may I present her royal highness Princess Emilia." the officers bowed as she curtsied simultaneously. "Your highness, this is Chief Officer Henry T Wilde and Second Officer Charles H Lightoller."

"What a pleasure to meet you!" she accepted their courtly pecks on the back of her hand like Murdoch had done. "It is an enormous honor for me to meet gentlemen of the sea like you officers. I am very interested in the sea and would like to learn some of your trade."

Wilde said nothing, his face registered mild shock while Lightoller was more smooth at hiding his expression. "Why thank you very much, your highness. We would be glad to teach you when our schedules are mutually convenient."

"Yes," Wilde recovered himself. "might I ask if this is your first transatlantic crossing?"

"Actually this isn't my first time. I went to Halifax a few years ago on a family vacation and I very much enjoyed it."

"Oh? I've been to Canada myself. The gold rush." Lightoller appeared sheepish, like he knew the venture was going to fail from the start. It did fail spectacularly but he'd had some incredible adventures while trailblazing. Emilia appeared eager to question him on his adventure, but she would ask him some other time.

"I see, Mr. Lightoller. Well gentlemen, I must get to my suite and get some work done before I allow myself to mingle with the others. It was an immense pleasure to meet you both and I hope I see you again soon."

The compulsory bows and curtsy followed with Murdoch leading her to her suite. As he departed, he heard Lightoller say in a low voice, "You lucky sod, Will."

* * *

"This is your private suite, your highness." Murdoch gave her the key to the room. In spite of all the luggage he'd seen on her car, only one pale green steamer trunk was sitting in the adjacent bedroom. Emilia laughed at his expression, knowing he'd expected mountains of baggage as she was a royal after all. Most of the royalty he'd seen had enough baggage to start a small department store.

"I have crossed the sea before, Mr. Murdoch. I pack essentials and stow the others down in the hold where they belong. I do not like clutter." Emilia crossed the room and took off her gloves, smoothing them out and putting them on the mantelpiece.

"I agree with you." some of the other ship's officers he'd sailed with before were right slobs but fortunately, nobody serving on Titanic were even hinted at being slobs just yet. In a few days' time it might be a different story though.

Emilia shut the door and approached the officer as he took a look outside of her private promenade deck. "Mr. Murdoch, now that we are alone, you may call me Emilia. I have no objections to being informal in private."

"I will keep that in mind, Emilia. You must call me Will."

"I will be honored to do so, Will." she sank down upon a couch as she took off her earrings, putting them in her jewel box. In the sunlight, Murdoch could see a round coil of braid pinned to the back of her head, shining in the light. "Well then, I suppose I have to make a royal appearance at supper tonight, and I must get my work done."

"What kind of work do you have to get done?" Murdoch teased. "You're on vacation!"

"True, but I have to write letters and come up with some new designs for my jewelry line. Once I get that all done, I can relax with an easy conscience. Then I will seek you and your fellows out for some nautical lessons." Emilia winked.

He kissed the back of her ungloved hand. "I look forward to it. Will you be needing my escort services tonight?"

"I would like that very much. Supper is at six, I believe? Meet me here at ten minutes to six so we can cause a right proper fuss."  
"The formal dress uniform is needed, I suppose?"

"You can bear it for that long, I think." Emilia teased. Murdoch was happy that she was so easygoing and seemed to like him a lot.

"Until tonight then."

* * *

Murdoch smiled to himself as the bell rang, signaling the end of his watch for that night. He straightened up his cuff, tilted his hat forward, then greeted Wilde who had just arrived for duty. Lowe and Pitman arrived as well, getting some information from the fellow juniors who were just off.

"Off to escort her tonight, Will?" Wilde leaned over the logbook under the guise of checking it as Murdoch shook his head with a reluctant grin.  
"It is Charles's turn tonight for that honor, Henry."

"I heard the first night you escorted her. How was it?"

"I only had charge of her for about ten minutes, but she was awash in jewels, elaborate hairdo, not to mention this green velvet dress with black gloves and wrap. As soon as I sat her down, I left and the next thing that I hear is that she charmed the Astors and managed to indirectly insult the Hockley chap."

"How?"

"She didn't say. I'm off to check on her and then I'll kick off for the night."

"All right. Good night."

"Night, Henry." Murdoch walked off, his footsteps receding to Wilde's ears as he shut the logbook and went over to the bridge to check on Boxhall's calculations.

* * *

Murdoch walked along the hallway to Emilia's suite, knowing that the princess often kept late hours and though it was late that night, he was fairly sure that she was still up.

Emilia had managed to come up with new designs for her jewelry lines during the second day at sea. It was interesting really to see how she had come up with the ideas for it. One moment she was sitting in a deck chair, the next she had her sketchpad out and was drawing up ideas one after the other. Lightoller had come across her while she was at it and had told Murdoch later that the ship had inspired her, she was drawing up designs for a new line of jewelry named the Lighthouse Collection. Emilia already had her other lines of jewelry, the high end line called Solara, and the affordable line Cassia.

There was no answer to his knock, so Murdoch opened up the door tenatively, knowing she would not mind if he or any of the other officers checked in on her in the late hours.

Emilia was in her robe sitting in front of the fireplace. All the lights were extinguished, she was lying on the couch with a book sitting on her chest, eyes closed, asleep. Murdoch took the book, seeing it was a Sherlock Holmes volume by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He put the book on the side table, then picked the princess up completely. The officer put her to bed, spreading a woolen blanket over her form, then as he was leaving, he saw several pictures laid out on the vanity.

"Your family, I think." the officer muttered, seeing Emilia, her parents and siblings all together for a group shot. One picture was of Emilia riding a horse barebacked wearing pants and boots, another was of a very gaudy looking necklace made out of seed pearls clustered around a brilliant emerald. Murdoch realized it was an advertisement, bragging about the pearls, emerald, and the golden leaves that made up the necklace chain.

"Introducing the new jewelry line Solara from Emilia Worthington." the caption boasted. A model wore large diamond earrings inlaid with sapphires and rubies.

"Wow." the other two pictures showed Emilia at a costume ball, clad in a black opera dress with a white sash and white opera gloves. The picture came from a masquerade ball given a few years ago by the Browns at their Denver home. The last picture Murdoch peered at in the low light of the room was of Emilia sitting on the front porch of her house with a big German Shepherd dog sitting beside her. She was leaning on the dog with a big smile on her face while the dog appeared perfectly content beside the young princess.

Murdoch left the suite, comforted in his mind that Emilia was content and happy.

* * *

Emilia got up on the morning of April 14, 1912, prepared for the day in a beautiful lavender dress, put on a white sailor jacket and her white gloves. It was a bit warmer that day than the others, so she decided to put her hair up in a loose chignon, put on her favorite earrings that were shaped like maple leaves with rubies in the center to represent Canada. The Canadians were very happy with the homage to their country and when Emilia put them in the affordable line, they flew off the shelves in a matter of hours.

After attending the Sunday church services with the other people, Emilia walked about the deck, smugly pleased with herself after taking that narcissistic and pretentious Caledon Hockley down a few pegs. She inhaled the salty air and grinned to herself, shaking her head a little bit at how rude she had been. It took a lot to push her buttons and set her off, but the Hockley snob had managed to do it every time he'd seen her.

Cal was openly smug about his own family's success with steelworks and the foundaries that they owned, flaunting it in front of the other people at the supper table the past few nights. If it wasn't Cal bragging, it was Ismay being smug and boasting about the ship. Emilia personally felt nauseated by the whole spectacle they were making. So, she made an entrance the second night of the voyage, dressing up in her most gaudy finery.

Prince Stephen Worthington, her father, had warned her about pretentious types, telling her that he knew of the Hockleys and what scum they really were. Cal was very ambitious to climb the social ladder, to gain more notriety for his reputation, and he wanted to be the richest man on the ship. Emilia loved her father dearly and had listened to his sound advice very clearly. With a clear caution not to tell her mother what he was about to say to her, Stephen had advised Emilia that she should flaunt her family's assets to Hockley's face. It was nauseating to the Worthingtons that the Hockleys considered themselves amongst royalty, and it was sheer sport to Emilia to remind Cal that he wasn't.  
The first night Cal wasn't so bad, the second one he grew more pretentious, making eyes at Emilia though his fiancee was right there. The princess did not like his bad manners and showmanship, vowing to teach him a lesson. Emilia did not say much during that supper, mentally forming a plan.

Lightoller had escorted her that night after giving her an impromptu lesson on celestial navigation. She had jokingly proclaimed he was a genius and she would never get the hang of it, but Lightoller schooled her with patience like he would as if she was one of his own children.  
That night had been memorable. Emilia went all out and wore a rich royal blue dress with no gloves, no sash, and sequins scattered on the bodice at random. Her dress had a deep plunging neckline which was outlined in bold silver colored thread. The princess wore a two tier sapphire and diamond cuff bracelet, on her ears were dangling flowers designed by herself to look like daisies. Diamonds formed the petals, a yellow garnet formed the center, and emeralds formed the leaves. The earrings were set in platinum as was her necklace. Emilia had created a bib necklace also in platinum, three sapphires were set close together by an interlocking chain, and at the end of each sapphire, a teardrop diamond dangled.

It was time for her to go into royal upperclass mode and look down her nose upon Hockley. Emilia had put her tiara on, something she had designed herself. It was elaborately gilded, a small emerald had been set in the very center, again in platinum.

"Dazzling." Lightoller complimented her that night as they walked down the stairs to the dining room. "You are a true royal now in full regalia."  
"Thank you, Charles. I want to look down my nose at Hockley the narcissist and remind him though he thinks he's royalty, he isn't." Emilia opened up her fan with a sharp snap. The fan was made of light and rugged hornbeam wood, was sewed with a design of blue flowers on a white background.

Lightoller laughed and asked to be informed how it went. She promised and with a remark that he wished he could witness what she was about to do, reluctantly went back to work.

"So," Murdoch's voice cut into her thoughts, startling Emilia. "how did it go last night?" she had drifted to the very point of the bow and was staring into the distant horizon. Murdoch allowed her to take his arm and they walked up to the bridge, their shoes thumping dully on the hardwood floor. Emilia went in first, followed by Murdoch, who shut the door with a scraping noise and a click as the iron latch slid into place.  
"Very well. I trust Charles told you everything?" she turned to face Murdoch as the quartermaster steered, knowing not to look at her or to say anything.

Murdoch picked up a pen and began to make notations on a clipboard. "He tried, but he was laughing too hard."

"He would!" Emilia giggled. The first officer noted the pleasing lilt her laugh had to it. "I was a snotty bitch!"

"Tell me now! Lightoller is coming to relieve me for lunch." surely enough, the second officer came up, promising Murdoch that Emilia would tell him a hilarious tale. The officer and the princess sat down together in the officer's mess, bringing their lunches from the buffet line.

"OK so first off, I was seated like everyone else. I had a lot of compliments on my royal blue gown and the tiara I wore. I remarked that I had designed it myself, along with my earrings and necklace set. The jewelry and my royal dress far outshone every other woman's attire, I had my hair curled back, the works. Cal starts in, verbally dry humping himself on all the work that his minions had done, all that jazz. It wouldn't go on for too long as I knew he'd start in on me, flirting with me outrageously because he wants to marry a royal."

"I've heard that." Murdoch muttered darkly.

"Indeed. He started off by complimenting me on my tiara and asked who designed it!" it might have been an innocent question, but Emilia was indignant about it because if he wanted to marry her to go up higher in society, he should have at least done a little research on her background. Murdoch understood her frame of mind, giving her a little nod as he adjusted the hat on his head.

"He was that stupid?"

"Yes, Will. I was very matter-of-fact and bitchy about it. I said, 'I designed it myself, Mr. Hockley, and I design all my own jewelry. I don't expect that you would know anything about creativity.' he wasn't happy with that," Murdoch started to laugh. "he just stared at me, then a few moments later, I was chatting with his fiancee when Cal started in on me again. This time he asked me if I'd ever been to Philadelphia. I haven't, but I bullshitted him on this one. I replied that I had, but I did not like it one bit. When he asked me why, I said it was because they were all low-bred, scruffy looking people who didn't have any clue on how to treat a royal. Cal agrees with me on this, and calls himself a royal right in front of me! I was furious."

"What did you do?" the blue eyes of the first officer glittered and shone with anticipation.

"I said, 'Mr. Hockley, you are proof of Philadelphia's low-bred and scruffy population. You presume to call yourself a royal right in front of an heiress to the throne! I don't suppose you would ever know what it is like to be a royal, doing charitable work, keeping up appearances and all of that. Royals like me work for a living, get their hands dirty, and we give donations back to the community. I don't ever recall any kind of gift of charity Hockley Steel has ever made. You are greedy, rude, and very pretentious.' his future mom in law wanted to speak to his defense, but she was too afraid of me. My royal blood makes a lot of people too afraid to talk to me at all. I said Cal was a downright slave driver, karma was going to come and get him, then left the table."

Murdoch almost applauded as they brought their plates to the washup station. "I hope you gave him something to think about." He remembered reading that Emilia and her family logged in over 300 royal engagements and work a year. Murdoch sincerely doubted that Hockley would lower himself to ever speaking with the public. The Worthingtons gave off the atmosphere of friendly and personable feeling, Hockley gave off the feeling that he was a greedy narcissist.

"Oh, that horrid mommy in law, Ruth something-or-other, tried to beg my forgiveness later on in my room, but I would have none of it. I told her if she wanted money, she should have married an old man like herself. There's nothing women hate more in this day and age is being reminded of how old they are. She teared right up because I called her out and threw her out of my room." Ruth had tried to kiss up to Emilia even more in the hallway after she threw out the old lady, but Emilia had talked down to her, saying that Ruth sponged off of Hockley, mocked her for not having an heir to carry on the family name. It was lowbrow, but Emilia didn't care at that moment. The old lady had stalked off to her rooms, she and Cal had badmouthed the royal for hours on end.

"You're a clever lady, Emilia," Murdoch complimented her as they left the officer's mess and walked up towards the bridge. "can I show you to your room tonight? It is getting rather late."

"How late is it? Will, it's only 6 PM! Isn't Wilde on watch right now?"

"He's just started, yes. I need some rest before my watch." he smothered a yawn, but Emilia caught it.

"You go rest then. I'll just promenade around and keep up appearances."

"Keep yourself safe." Murdoch kissed the back of her hand and wearily departed for his room.

* * *

Emilia parked herself onto a deck chair with a sketchpad on her lap. The sun was going down but there was still enough light for another hour of brainstorming. She started out by drawing a small lighthouse, making arrows to various parts of the structure and noting which stone type would look best in a certain place. The lighthouse, inspired by Titanic and her childhood love of lighthouses, would look best in black onyx for the top and rim of the walkway around the lighthouse light part itself. The body of the lighthouse could be in a variety of colors, particularly rubies and aquamarines.

For two hours she worked on symbolizing the ocean in jewelry pendants. Sea glass could be found in excess and Emilia would refine it so it was shiny and string it together as a plain bracelet or set it in platinum and gold for more elegance. Her other items involved a sea star using garnets, a small lapel pin of a fully rigged sailing ship and for a lower priced version, a skiff with a sail.

The princess worked on the designs until she found her eyelids would not stay open anymore. Cal and Ruth walked by, simultaneously giving her a glare as Wilde strolled in the opposite direction. The chief officer glanced at the Hockey snob and Ruth, seeing plainly that the two of them were actually afraid of confronting Emilia. The princess rubbed out a mark on her sketchpad, then shut the cover over it, relaxing back for a few minutes.

"Hello, your highness," Wilde stood near her. "having a good day?"

"Hello, Henry," she sat up, then stood up, grinning as he kissed her hand. "off shift?"

"Absolutely. May I escort you to your suite?"

"If you would be so generous," Emilia claimed his arm with a grin. "the Hockley twit and his idiot in law mommy won't touch me now," she told him the story of the pompous heir with hardly a lick of common sense. Wilde let loose and laughed hard as she told him of the way she insulted Hockley and the old dowager.

The chief officer was still guffawing when they entered the first class reception room on the way to her suite when Cal and Ruth came in the opposite direction.

"Must be nice to have the entire ship's company in your pocket." the disgruntled heir growled to Ruth, who tittered. Wilde heard and was about to retaliate when Emilia clutched at his arm, telling him to stay still.

"It is rather nice to have a royal influence." she said without seeming to. Wilde unlocked her door for her and opened it up. Emilia walked into the room sedately, turning to the chief officer. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10:30. Charles will be off his shift at 11."

Emilia trotted over to her steamer trunk, opened it up, then withdrew a small bundle wrapped in cloth. Wilde approached her as she unwrapped the bundle, revealing a small bottle of brandy. "Would you like to join me in a nightcap, Henry?"

"Absolutely," Brandy was one of Wilde's occasional vices. Emilia handed him a measure of the ruby liquid in a small tumbler. "you drink a lot?"  
Grinning after a small sip of the drink, Emilia explained, "Sometimes. One of my ambitions is to open up my own distillery. I've tried everything at least once. Russian vodka, English gin, sherry, bourbon, American moonshine... you name it."

"Pisco?"

"It's really good when you mix it up, but straight it doesn't taste very good and it can knock you down. I'm partial to a good beer as well."  
"Dark?"

"Stouts, yes. Reds are good too."

"Amen to that." the pair started waxing lyrical about the best drinks they'd ever had until Emilia's eyes started to close. She rubbed them, making Wilde grin as he recognized her fatigue. "Sorry, it's time for me to turn in for the evening."

"All right," Wilde pecked her hand. "sleep tight now."

"Thank you, Henry," she kissed his cheek affectionately. "navigation class in the morning then?"

He laughed. "Well, we shall see. I hope you've made improvements since the one yesterday morning."

"Charles taught me some earlier today. He's really patient and I hope I can impress you." Emilia winked.

"Yes, we shall see," Wilde had 4 kids himself and he considered himself patient as well as his subordinate. "time will tell."

Laughing, Emilia and Wilde said goodnight as she saw him out, locking the door.

About an hour later, Emilia was gathering her things together to make it easier for her to pack up her belongings when the ship docked. For some reason she was unable to sleep, so she worked more on her designs. Letting down her long hair, Emilia sat down at her vanity, turned on the light, and began to brush her hair out. While she had traveled with her family last summer, she had experimented with hairstyles, trimming her hair back to about shoulder length and winding it up into a simple bun while she toured Germany. It saved her some time in braiding her hair and putting it into the usual knot at the back of her head, so she kept the style.

The ship made a jarring motion followed by a horrible screeching sound reminding the young princess of fingernails on a blackboard and she jumped up, running out to the promenade deck and looking outside to see a monstrous iceberg looming over the ship. Mouth agape as the berg scraped by, Emilia leaned out the window to keep it in her sight a bit longer. Swearing profusely, Emilia went back into her room, figuring that the officers would come and get her if it was serious. To be on the safe side, she pulled out her winter greatcoat, cashmere scarf, and leather gloves, tossing them on the sofa.

"It's probably nothing, but I can't afford to take chances." Emilia picked her jewelry box up, a slim box in black velvet, then slid it into her inner greatcoat pocket. The jewelry she had designed for herself was very unique and each piece was personal to her, and she was unwilling to part with it under almost any circumstance.

"Your highness?" two raps on the door and a steward peered in. "The captain's orders, would you dress warmly and come on deck? Mr. Murdoch requested you to come to the bridge as soon as you can."

"Of course, will just be a moment." she nodded as the steward did as well, then retreated into her room where her warmest dress was hanging up. Pulling out her black peacoat, she layered the dress, peacoat, and greatcoat so she would be warm. Emilia dressed in a blue serge dress with a tatted lace collar, pulled on her black greatcoat and leather gloves, though she didn't bother with a hat. She ransacked her trunk, pulling out a striped cashmere scarf, winding it around her neck.

A funny feeling came over her as she stood at the entranceway to her room, but she shook it off as she adjusted the glove on her left hand. Of course she was coming back.

* * *

On the bridge, Murdoch was white-faced with anxiety over the situation. The ship had hit an iceberg and while he was under the impression it wasn't that bad at first, when Andrews had told them all that the ship was going to sink indefinitely.

"And the damage wouldn't have been as bad if we'd extended the watertight compartments like I'd wanted to in the first place!" Andrews thumped his fist on the desk angrily while glaring at the bewildered and dumbstruck Ismay. "Now we have to face the fact that we don't have enough lifeboats for all aboard!"

Murdoch recognized Emilia's familiar heels clacking on the deck and saw her shadow as she walked into the bridge area. Captain Smith peered over the partition and nodded to Murdoch covertly as Andrews gathered up the design plans of the ship, leaving the officers and Ismay in a stunned silence.

"Will?" Emilia jammed her hands in her pockets, already chilled. "What's going on?"

Murdoch glanced around him to make sure no other passengers were present to hear him. Lightoller ambled out as Captain Smith and Boxhall left the bridge to go and alert the other officers that were off duty.

"The ship has struck an iceberg and is going to sink," he said in a low voice. Emilia gasped. "you will be all right and I'll see you to a lifeboat."  
"What about you?" she grasped his arm. "I can't leave without knowing that you'll be all right and make it off the ship in one piece!" Murdoch's blue eyes locked onto hers with a fierce intensity that she could not mistake for anything but a loyalty to his duty. She wasn't a princess anymore to his eyes, she was one that he had to save.

"You have to get on a boat, first thing!" his voice rang with authority that she had only heard a few times before and Emilia knew that it would be futile to argue with him. Still, Emilia had spoken her mind her entire life, encouraged by her father, and she wasn't about to stop now.  
"I'm not going without you, Will." her loyalty to him was moving, considering the fact they had met only 4 days ago. In the half light of the bridge, Murdoch kissed her on the cheek and brought her hands out of her pockets. A great rush of affection flashed through him as the ship's engines ground to a halt.

"Fine. You can help me load up the boats for now."

* * *

Two hours later the ship began to sink more rapidly and Murdoch readied the last lifeboat on the starboard side. Emilia had to talk people into entering the boats at first, but now she was having a hard time keeping people out of the boats. Lightoller had protected his last one with a ring of crewman around it, but the princess had nothing like that to help her.

"OK, is this one-urk!" she gasped as someone wrapped an arm around her neck and she felt cold metal press against her left temple. A few women screamed as they wrapped protective arms around their children, shielding them from harm as Emilia clutched at her assailant's arm, gasping for air.

"The bloody hell?!" Murdoch spun around when a few screams broke out. Emilia was in the clutches of Caledon Hockley with a derringer plugged at her temple. "Hockley? Have you no shame, man?!" most of the men by now had resigned themselves to their fates like the men that they were and gallantly gave up their lifeboat seats to the women and children.

"Only a complete moron would do this type of bullshit to a lady! In particular a royal one!" Emilia spat out nastily as the tussled with Cal, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Mr. Hockley! Your reputation will suffer! This lady can bring down the hordes of hell and see that you lose your entire fortune!" Murdoch tried to talk some sense into him, but by the hysteria in Cal's eyes, he wasn't buying it. There was a blankness in Cal's eyes, like he wasn't aware of what he himself was doing at that point. The sailor knew that the situation brought out the best in some people and the worst in others. Clearly, Hockley was a coward at heart.

"Give me a spot in the boat here and she won't die!" the heir's face was flushed red with the cold and his normally slicked back hair was limp across his face, giving him a wild appearance.

"You're out of your mind!" Emilia proclaimed, stepping on his foot and using self-defense moves that her brothers had taught her, rammed her left elbow into Cal's face with all her might, causing him to drop his grip on her. The princess handed Murdoch the gun that the crazed man had dropped. Murdoch threw the derringer into the water as the ship lurched violently, throwing everyone off their feet.

"Time to depart!" Murdoch grabbed Emilia and nearly threw her into the boat unceremoniously. Emilia fumbled for a moment and turned over to face Murdoch, stretching out her hand to his.

"Will! Come on!" the officer glanced back at the ship as a huge wave washed the lifeboat clear. "There's nothing that you can do for them now! We need you!" Murdoch did not hesitate as he reached over and grasped Emilia's hand, stepped over the railing, and got himself into the boat just before the ship lurched and a powerful tidal wave of water rained down on where he had just been standing.

"Steady now!" the officer regained his nerves of steel as he directed the crewmen to lower the boat to the water, then they cut the fall lines. Emilia helped as much as she dared, not wanting to get in the way of the more experienced crewmen. A few of the ladies tittered at a lady getting so physical to help the crew, but Emilia brushed them off with an arrogant stare.

When they had gone a safe distance away, Murdoch stood up at the bow for a moment to try to gauge the distance they were from the ship. Emilia was sitting at the bow near him and she grasped his hand, tugging him to sit down. He did so reluctantly as the ship reached skywards with the stern poking straight up, then with a tremendous bubbling and assorted noises, the once behemoth liner slipped down underneath the waves to her final resting place. An almost eerie quiet descended upon the ocean, then the wails of the people who were not saved faintly reached their ears.

Stunned, Emilia put her hand over her mouth as her eyes flooded with tears. In the darkness of the boat, Murdoch took her hand, giving it a squeeze of support. She raised her head briefly and Murdoch could see the tears on her face.

"Come on now," he tried to comfort her and realized everyone on the boat should hear it too. The Scottish sailor stood up. "All right everyone, listen up! We've all just suffered a devastating blow and everyone has my deepest sympathy if you've lost loved ones. I know it's hard, but we need to row and find the other boats. Once we find them we must stick together! The way to get through this night is to support each other, comfort each other, and work together as a team! We can grieve later but just not now!"

"Aye, 'e's right!" one of the crewmen trumpeted. "C'mon, let's put our backs into it! Exercise will keep us warm!"

For some reason, the motivational speech drained Murdoch of a lot of his energy and he had to sit down for a moment. "Think you can make it, Emilia?"

She gave him a watery smile. "Yes."

"That's the spirit." he gave her a friendly smile. "Don't give up now."

"I won't."

The princess sat down out of the way and leaned her head back to look at the stars. They were so tantalizingly close like she could pick one out of the sky and put it on a necklace chain. Watching her breath condense in the air in front of her, Emilia resigned herself to waiting a long time, perhaps not too long, but long enough. When she was rescued, she would have to telegraph her parents to make sure that they knew she was all right.

Only one question remained in Emilia's mind: Where did she go from here?

* * *

At dawn, Emilia was shivering despite her greatcoat and peacoat layered over her dress. Murdoch was preoccupied with making sure they rowed in the rescue ship's direction, having sighted the Carpathia. Something rattled against her side as she leaned on the edge of the bow where she had been sitting, and she pulled out her jewelry case she had stowed earlier. Her one of a kind designs had been sitting safely all that time and it seemed like a year since she had packed that in her coat pocket.

It seemed so silly now to be carrying her jewelry which was worth several thousands of dollars when so many lives were lost. Emilia was still young at heart and in her travels around the globe, she had been shielded from the realities of life. Her mother had always been the overprotective sort and her brothers were of the same mold. Emilia's father had been more grounded, telling Emilia the realities of life and death, but still it was the first time that she had been witness to so many people dying.

The morning sun beamed down and despite herself, she felt the coat absorb the sunlight and she began to feel a bit warmer.

"Come on, pull!" Murdoch boomed encouragingly and the lifeboat came alongside the Carpathia where a rope ladder had been lowered for them. The first officer assisted the people up the ladder the best he could, then extended his hand to Emilia. "Think you can do it?"

"I'll show you." the princess smiled and ascended the ladder a bit stiffly at first, but nearly sprinted up the ladder after that. The Carpathia's officers Bisset and Hankinson extended their hands and pulled her up the rest of the way.

"I'll be!" Rostron was leaning over the edge of the rail to look at the survivors. "Your royal highness!" he bowed.

"Thank you, sir. Forgive me, but I am not at my best at the moment," she managed a ghostly smile. "these events take it out of me." the princess was pale faced and trembling slightly from the overnight exposure in the small lifeboat.

The captain chuckled. "Of course, your highness. This way to my quarters, please." Murdoch nodded, signaling her to go. The tired princess took Rostron's arm and allowed him to guide her up to his suite of rooms.

"If you need anything at all, just call one of the stewards or me and we will attend to you." he promised her as Emilia sat on the edge of the bed.

"Right now I'd just like to sleep for a year."

"You look pale and tired. Are you hungry as well?" Emilia took her overcoat off and unbuttoned her peacoat, tossing the jewelry case onto Rostron's bureau carelessly.

"My jewels," she explained. "it's so stupid I wanted to save them when there were so many lives lost." jewels could be insured or lost without cause, but when a person died, there was no way to get them back at all. For all the money in the would could not bring a loved one back from the beyond.

"These things happen, your highness," Rostron cuffed her on the shoulder. "please get some rest. Would you like me to wake you when supper is served?"

"Yes please. As long as we're in private, you may call me Emilia."

"Very well, Emilia. I must get to the bridge and oversee the rescue. Sleep well."

"I'll try." undoubtedly there would be some nightmares, but Emilia was too tired to think of them as she took off her peacoat and lay down on the bed.

Death was not a topic discussed in her family and this experience had shaken her up pretty badly. Emilia had visited Spain, America, Germany, the Netherlands, even Transylvania. The impoverished countries she had not been allowed to visit for security reasons. In places of civil unrest, her father had to travel under armed guards, bodyguards, and have special permission to visit if he could get any permission at all. Emilia's mother treated the subject of death like something remote that could not happen to any of them. The Worthington matriarch was a bit snobby and haughty, but over time Emilia had realized the fact that her mother only acted like an upperclass twit around people she did not know and did not trust. Once she was comfortable with someone, the matriarch would bring out her chatty side and treat the other person with all respect due him.

Emilia closed her eyes with a sigh, wishing that her mother was here with her so she could fall asleep with her mother beside her, so she could feel safe again.

* * *

Murdoch shifted in his White Star uniform as Emilia came up beside him gingerly. The duo watched as the harbor came into view as it rained heavily. It was a dreary gray day and the survivors were thoroughly tired and ready to set foot on dry land again.

In order to avoid the media, Rostron had thoughtfully arranged for a small lobster trawler to meet the Carpathia halfway into the harbor so Emilia could disembark unnoticed. The captain had already sent a wire to her family to let them know that she was all right. Emilia was on several survival lists wired out, so everyone knew she was alive at least.

"Ready?" Murdoch asked as the boat hovered nearby, edging in under the ladder.

"Yeah." the princess was pale and only after urging by Murdoch and Lightoller, Emilia had gone to see the doctor. He had diagnosed her with a flu bug and recommended hospitalization immediately or she would just get worse. Boxhall had a similar situation and would be hospitalized shortly as well.

"Right. I'll come and visit you soon. Feel better." Murdoch cuffed her shoulder and after well wishes from Rostron, Emilia was assisted into the trawler and taken to a nondescript landing away from all the media hype.

"She's a remarkable woman, Mr. Murdoch." Rostron mentioned as they watched her figure recede and vanish.

"Indeed, sir."

"She'd make some man a wonderful wife."

"I am married, sir. In case you were insinuating something." Murdoch said shortly, tired after only a few hours' broken sleep on the ship.  
Rostron looked abashed. "I do apologize, Mr. Murdoch."

"It's all right, sir. I'm just tired. I want to sleep for about a year."

"You will have the rest of the day to yourself, my good man. The White Star Line has put you officers and crew up in the Waldorf-Astoria so you can rest up."


	2. Chapter 2

LETTERS  
"Dear Will;  
"I am safe and sound now, in a charming little hotel that's away from the hype of the reporters and all the media. I think if I appeared with the rest of survivors the media would react like vultures zeroing in on a kill and possibly harm some of the innocent people in a feeding frenzy. Plus their hardship has been difficult and I do not want to take attention off of them.

"By the end of the week, I will be taking off for Halifax. There was a telegram from my father awaiting me and he requested that I take the 3:30 train up north. It will be another long journey to there, but as I'm looking forward to seeing my brothers and father again, I will not mind it. It means a week of traveling on a train, but after ships, I feel more comfortable on land, as I'm sure that you do!

"I do not mean to insinuate that ships aren't lovely, nor do I blame the disaster on you at all. Things happen and you musn't blame yourself for it. It is easy to fall into self-recrimination but not easy to get out of the habit.

"All that time in an open boat in the wee morning hours while bodily resistance is low has given me a devil of a cold! I have not been able to rise from my bed this past morning because I am so congested. My throat hurts like hell and I just wish that my cold would pass faster!  
"I will soldier on, my friend. If you or your officer friends need anything, please don't hesitate.

"Fondly, Emilia Audrey Frances Worthington."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;  
"I am in receipt of your letter from two days ago and I am happy that you're out of the glare of the media. I do not know how to describe what it felt like to run the gauntlet of their flashbulbs and camera lenses every time we go down to the boardroom of the hotel to testify!  
"Then again, maybe you already know what it's like. I almost forgot who I was writing to for a moment. I don't care for the shouting and all of that, but I do know that it is wearing on me and the other officers. Charles is putting up with it the best he can, and Harold has a bit of a temper on him when provoked. One of the reporters got too bold and even though I forget what the circumstances were, Lowe left him no room for doubt as what would have happened if we were all in England.

"Sounds like Harold doesn't it? He's very even-tempered for an officer, though he's Welsh, he does have a few triggers which just set him off. We all do.

"Joseph is still sick in the hospital. He's got some sort of infection in his lungs and the poor man cannot testify just yet. He's bedridden at the moment and I went to see him last night. Joe was amused by the fact that you are ill at this time as well and begs me to remember him to you.  
"I am very sorry to hear that you have a bad cold and I hope you can make it on your train to go up north. I do not believe that I have ever been to Halifax and would like to make it up there sometime.

"Rest well my friend and keep taking it easy. You'd be surprised at how well that helps.

"Closing for now, Will Murdoch."

* * *

"Dear Will;  
"I'm writing this on the train now and I hope you can read my writing, as it is not a very smooth journey.

"It's just as well that this trip is a week long as my cold still has not dissipated and I find myself getting irritated about it. There is no reason for irritation, but still, it's human nature to be irritated or mad about something that you cannot control. Last night I had a little fever and spent the night in the hospital car, but that was nothing to be worried about. It was caused by my boarding the train. Fortunately the fever part disappeared this morning and I was allowed to go to my stateroom.

"Tell Joe I remember him fondly and I wish him to get well as soon as possible. I've been following the inquiry through the newspapers I am able to get. Charles seems to be holding up reasonably well. I understand he's a good close friend of yours and I know he'll defend you to the end as you no doubt will to him.

"Just remember that it was nobody's fault, an accident, and it's moot point now to discuss how it could have been prevented.

"I support you and the others, though I have a little plan which I hope will help you all. I understand that you'll be taken down to Washington to be interrogated all over again?

"Must close for now. Fondly, EAF Worthington."

* * *

"Dear EAF;  
"Yes, we are to be carted down to Washington like a herd of cattle being taken to market. Lights and I are frustrated with the entire farce-that's what it is here-and we are aching to get home. What is this little plan that you speak of?

"I can wait though. I'm a bit worried about Charles-he's not thrilled with our situation, who would be? The stress seems to be getting through to him as he's losing a bit of weight. I'm the senior surviving officer, therefore I'm taking most of the stress, but I think Lights is just eager to get home and the questions just reawaken the nightmare of that night. He doesn't say much but the emotional stress is definitely getting to him.

"Fingers crossed that we will be home soon. Charles wants to see his wife Sylvia, I want to see my wife Ada. I never asked if you were married or not? Don't answer if you don't want to.

"Joe has finally rejoined us. The poor lad looks pale and so fragile he'd bruise or break if the wind blows hard. Like the rest of us officers, he's a stoic chap and it takes a lot to knock him down. He testified for one day in New York and honestly he should not have done it. He looks completely drained and he's been sleeping a lot lately since he was discharged.

"To be perfectly frank, we are all sleeping a lot. Those first few nights after the disaster nobody could sleep without nightmares, but as time passes by, the dreams begin to fade little by little. Are you still having dreams about that night?

"Do tell what your pet project is now. Knowing you, you can't hold still for very long!

"Fondly, Will Murdoch."

* * *

**Copy of the Halifax Chronicle, sent to Will Murdoch:**

"HEIRESS CONDUCTS AUCTION TO BENEFIT TITANIC VICTIMS.

"Miss Emilia Worthington, a relation to the Queen, has announced that on the Titanic she saved her jewelry box which is filled with one-of-a-kind pieces that were not for sale at any time before the disaster. The young princess and heiress of the Worthington mining and jewelry industry announced yesterday that she would be putting the jewelry she wore on the Titanic up for auction to benefit the survivors.

"Among the pieces are a two tier bracelet, daisy diamond earrings, and even her own personal tiara designed by the princess herself. Each piece comes with its own certificate of authenticity clarifying the fact that it was designed by the princess and is a one-of-a-kind piece.

"Invitations were sent out for the auction and the response has been great. Prince Stephen has announced that he is most pleased with his daughter's generosity, he applauded her spirit, and hoped a monetary gift would help ease the survivors' pain at least a little bit. He has said that though money would not bring the victims back, the money could at least help with material matters.

"The Worthington family send their deepest respects and condolences to the victims of the Titanic and will pray for them tonight."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"Charles Lightoller here. Murdoch gave me permission to write to you, I hope you don't mind. We received a cut from your auction of the jewels and I wanted to thank you very much. I was able to replace my wardrobe I lost on the ship and send a considerable amount home to my wife to help out with our children.

"Will is quite happy-he sent home an amount to Ada (his wife), and his wardrobe was replaced as well. He tells me that you are or were sick with a bad cold and I send you my kindest regards and hope that you are well.

"It appears that a certain Mr. Hockley has been mired down in scandal since you and he left New York. Since the death of his fiancee, he has been involved in several local mistresses and because of his prominence, you can imagine how scandalized the reaction was. His father Nathaniel had been made aware of his son's promiscuity and promptly banned his son from leaving the estate until he is cured of his apparent sexual addiction.

"Rumors began to circulate about that pompous ass, how his fiancee was marrying him only for his money and he was marrying her just to inherit the family fortune.

"I can tell you from experience that if you marry for love, your life will be enriched in so many ways. If you do decide to marry, for love it must be or it will never work. I look at my wife when I'm home and I can see how lucky I am.

"With my kindest regards and sincere gratitude, Charles Herbert Lightoller."

* * *

"Dear your royal highness Princess Emilia;

"Forgive me for intruding on your time like this, but I am Mary Wilde, Henry Wilde's sister. I was wondering if you could tell me anything of his final moments on the Titanic. From the newspapers, you had contact with all of the officers.

"Thank you for the gift of the money we received from your jewelry sale. It will help us through this hard time very much.

"I can be reached at the address below.

"Thank you very much, Mary Wilde."

* * *

"Dear Mary Wilde;

"You are very welcome and I know it does not bring Henry back, but I hope it eases some financial worries from your mind. The auction was a raging success but I wish I had been able to do more.

"From what I can recall, Henry was casually standing by once all the boats had gone, prepared to go down with the ship. He had done his duty very well up until the end, and the last time I remember seeing him was shaking hands with Murdoch goodbye, wishing him luck, and he walked off.

"I know it is not much from my own recollection, but it seems he went down with the ship. I discussed with Harold Lowe on your behalf, asking if he saw Henry's body in the water when he went back, and Mr. Lowe stated that he did not. At least Henry was spared the icy hypothermia which those poor souls suffered.

"I am so sorry for bringing you such news and I can only pray that time will help heal your family. I know that wherever Henry is now he is looking after his children and family.

"With my sincerest condolences and well wishes, Emilia Worthington."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"We finally get to go home today! All of us officers including Ismay are boarding one of our old vessels of the White Star Line in order to get home. Ismay, the little snot, has barricaded himself in his room and does not come out at all. There are a significant number of survivors on board and I hear remarks that the man is too cowardly to come out and try to comfort the distraught. Personally, what can he do? I don't like him, but he is in an awkward position.

"I am not defending the coot; he jumped aboard one of the boats and survived. I try to see this in a nonbiased light. The ship was sinking, he wanted to live, and it is human nature to do anything to survive.

"At any rate, it is all moot point now anyway. We cannot change the past, we can live in the present and sculpt the future.

"How are you, Emilia? I heard that Charles wrote a letter to you but he hasn't heard back yet. Keeping busy are you?

"Fondly, Will Murdoch."

* * *

"Dear Will and Charles;

"It seems to me like there aren't enough hours in the day to get things done around here, so a joint letter seems to suffice for my purpose.  
"I have been extremely busy for the past 2 weeks. You all know that my auction went off very successfully and my staff on my jewelry lines are very excited for my new nautical line of jewels. There have been meetings galore, discussing the type of stones we want to use, all of that. I don't get to bed until after midnight most nights, but my hard work will pay off when the new line launches in London when I get back to the UK.

"That won't be for another two weeks at best, as I've bought a ticket for the Celtic which is leaving at the end of next week. My father had me helping my brothers at doing random work in order to get the newest jewelry shop and mines operational by the deadline.

"We have mined a lot of gold. Charles, sound familiar?

"Canada is plentiful for what we need, I'm entranced by the amethyst and tourmaline that we have found. Sometimes the stone itself in it's purest unrefined form can inspire me to draw out the best way to cut it to show the brilliance. A lot of the pieces I design are spur-of-the-moment inspiration.

"My signature piece for the new nautical collection is a lighthouse. We are using black onyx, white diamonds(cubic zirconia for the affordable line), and red garnets. I love lighthouses and have always been entranced by them.

"Must dash, I have another meeting to get to. Look for me to arrive in London around the end of July.

"Truly yours, EAF Worthington."

* * *

FROM HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE STEPHEN DANIEL ALAN WORTHINGTON TO WILLIAM MCMASTER MURDOCH:

"Dear Mr. Murdoch;

"My daughter Emilia has informed me about your duty aboard ship and your service to her along with your fellow officers aboard the Titanic. I have been told that you helped to save her life when the unfortunate disaster happened, and I very humbly thank you for your efforts.  
"Emilia has been a boisterous individual since she was very small. Her mother tried to curb her in that respect, but with two brothers and a sister, the propensity for being loud in a large family outweighs a lot of things! I feared this loudness about her might turn you and your brother officers off of her but to my relief, you did not. She doesn't act like a proper lady and many male suitors her mother had lined up did not like Emilia's boisterous nature, so you might see why I did fret a bit.

"Emilia has a compassionate heart and a generous nature, learned from her mother and me, and I was proud of her for selling off her one-of-a-kind jewelry to help the survivors and victims of the disaster.

"Again, I thank you and your officer friends very much. My daughter is a rare gem herself and I'm sure you know as a devoted father, I allow her leeway in her life, but the parent in me always frets whether she is in danger. I am very glad that she had you and your colleagues to turn to.

"I wish you all the best Mr. Murdoch. If you should need any help for any reason, please do not hesitate to call upon me.

"Sincerely, Stephen Daniel Alan Worthington."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"I've had the most wonderful letter from your father and though I have not had time to write him back, I'm enclosing a small note along with this letter.

"I've been back at sea since late May after we got done with the British hearings into the disaster. Charles and I backed each other up, knowing that there was no point in blaming one person or even many, just as long as lessons are learned and this does not happen again. We avoided pointing blame at anybody, even that arrogant snot Ismay. On the voyage home, he just locked himself away and didn't socialize. Many thought he was too arrogant to talk to us, but Lights and I thought differently. Ismay was very publicly shamed and branded with new monikers, none of them pleasant, and he has what some doctors call survivor's guilt. Charles theorized that Ismay didn't know how to approach any other survivors and kept himself secluded. I agreed and does that make any sense to you?

"At any rate, I'm off on the Celtic until Christmas to do the old Australian run, so I will be home with Ada. If you are back in the UK during that time, please drop on by as Ada will be thrilled to meet you.

"Time to go on shift now so I will close by saying I hope I hear from you soon and my warmest regards to your entire family.

"Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"My father received your note, then he read it with a big smile on his face. He and I are coming back to the UK around the second of December. Things have been going very well on the industrial front, I've gotten many people here jobs and they are working away happily, being able to provide for their families gets them motivated easily.

"I'm going home on the Adriatic which will be setting sail quite soon from here in Halifax, so I may beat this letter home, I don't know!  
"Once you return from the Australia run, you should be back in time for my gala unveiling of the new Lighthouse jewelry collection by yours truly! I will send you and your wife, plus all the families of merchant marine officers invitations to the event. My father and I are devising little gift bags for the occasion and they have surprises in them for everyone.

"Here's hoping you, Ada, Charles and Sylvia can come! Boxhall, Lowe and Pitman have all RSVP'd.

"Yours, EAF."

* * *

DECEMBER 20, 1912  
Charles Lightoller, William Murdoch, Ada Murdoch, and Sylvia Lightoller presented their tickets to the doorman at the gala party thrown by Emilia Worthington. The 4 people were duly admitted, dressed in all their finery.

Lightoller and Murdoch wore their best suits, Lightoller was wearing dark blue and Murdoch was in dark brown. The ladies were a little more extravagant in their elaborate updos with modest jewelry and a feather plume in their hair.

"Come on now, let's mingle!" Lightoller, ever the comfortable one in society, led Sylvia on his arm and they began to dance carefully. Murdoch did likewise and the couples began a waltz.

Emilia parted the stage curtain to peer out over the assembled gathering all participating in a fancy waltz and smiled. She let the curtain fall, not quite ready for her stage debut just yet. The princess's overly fussy makeup lady had gotten onto Emilia's last nerve and trying to disguise her frustration, suggested that the lady take an early night. More than capable of applying her own makeup, she chased off the lady and picked up her eyeliner.

"Oh, damn!" she swore as she accidentally stabbed herself in the eye. A sound of laughter permeated the backstage area.

"Come now my precious daughter, language like that is most unbecoming." a man with a walrus mustache, broad features, jet black hair tinged with gray made his way towards her.

Prince Stephen had a strong jawline which his sons had inherited, a well built physique, piercing blue eyes that were intelligent beyond his years. The patriarch of the Worthington family had an aquiline nose, lines of good humor around his eyes, and an aura of good naturedness. Stephen put his hands on his daughter's shoulders and turned her so that she faced the mirror, not sitting at an angle like she was previously.  
Emilia finished putting on her eyeliner and looked up, her eyes had a faint silver streak around the upper lids which brought out her skin and hair.

"Oh Daddy, since when do you care?" she teased, smoothing her skirts out. Stephen put a small box on the vanity with a little thud, appraising his daughter as he stood behind her. Emilia glanced up at her father then eyed herself in the mirror critically.

"You know, your mother has always looked forward to this moment, seeing you all dolled up at a public event," Stephen opened the small box and pulled out Emilia's new tiara, settling it on her head and anchoring it down with pins. It was more elaborate than the last one she had worn previously, bigger and more gilded with tiny diamonds. "pity it couldn't be tonight."

"Well, she's off with my precious sister in Hillingham right now," Emilia uncapped a lipstick tube and leaning forward, carefully drawing on lipstick. "the good daughter." she couldn't keep a small tinge of bitterness out of her thoughts as she contemplated her sister briefly.  
Sarah Elizabeth Farthing Worthington was of a sweet and docile nature, she inherited her mother's dark blonde hair and brown eyes and also much of her temperament. The two sisters were as different as night and day, but when they grew up, both grew estranged from each other as time wore on.

"Your mother loves all of you and wants one of you at least to grow in her own image. Between you and Sarah, your mother chose her because she has a lot of your mother's temperament. You know how you tried your mother's patience when you were younger. I think your mother is just mad that out of four children, one turned out like her."

Emilia laughed as she pulled on a small ruby bracelet and put in similar teardrop earrings. "Your influence, Daddy." Sarah was always on the sidelines when they were growing up, watching Emilia not care about image, roughhousing with her two brothers. Stephen would encourage them all in their play fighting as long as it didn't get rough.

"That's right. Come along now, it's time for the official reveal. All your friends are here tonight." Stephen took her hand and guided her up, appraising her with his eyes. "It won't be long before some gentleman is catching your fancy and you won't need your old dad anymore."  
"Nobody will take your place, Dad," they stood before the closed curtain and gave the signal to part it. "Come on, let's dazzle 'em!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the MC announced grandly. "Presenting his royal highness Stephen Daniel Alan and his daughter, the charming Princess Emilia Audrey Frances Worthington!" the curtain drew back, prompting Murdoch and Lightoller's jaws to drop open.

Stephen was wearing his black plush suit with shined shoes and a gray ascot, looking very noble in his posture and bearing. He nodded graciously at the applause and waved over the audience with a big grin on his face.

It was Emilia who drew the gasps from the officers. From her royal wardrobe on Titanic, she had really glamored herself up for the occasion. The princess had her hair rolled up into a French twist, ruby teardrop earrings dangled from her ears, matching a simple ruby bracelet on her left wrist. Her dress was ruby red to complement the jewels, the dress had dropped sleeves and a very deep neckline. The neckline was embroidered with golden colored thread, around the waist was a black sash tied over the left side, both ends trailing down a few inches.  
"She's lovely." Sylvia breathed, entranced. Emilia's skirts were full as she had to wear a few petticoats in order to get the fullness. Her tiara caught the light and glittered, and she wore a necklace that had a pendant of a lighthouse on it.

"Thank you, everyone," Stephen acknowledged the applause. "my beautiful daughter Emilia has a few surprises for you all. Darling?"

"Thank you, Father," she only called him Dad in private. "ladies and gentlemen, I have brought you all here tonight to give you a preview of my newest jewelry collection named the Lighthouse. This has a high end line and a more affordable line," she walked over to the table and pulled off the sheet covering the display. "I was inspired by the Titanic and the officers who sailed on her to create something as everlasting and timeless like the majesty of those great ships. What I am wearing now is my signature piece, the lighthouse. I've been entranced by these lonely structures and struck by how symbolic they are. A lighthouse is a beacon of light, there to guide you from danger and give you confidence in your time of need. It is simply black onyx or smoky quartz done in either gold or silver. The light part is yellow garnet."

Emilia introduced several more pieces, a ship's wheel either done in diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, or rubies, or the ship's wheel could be set in plain silver or gold with a small chip diamond on the tips of the steering handles. The same options could be applied to an anchor, a buoy, or even a cluster of three small cylinders meant to look like a pier. A seagull, a fish, and other nautical paraphenalia were introduced with affordable and more luxurious options.

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen," Emilia concluded. "and now let's continue our dancing and live this night to the fullest! The gift bags will be handed to you on your way out."

The rest of the night passed without any incident. Emilia managed to snag a dance with each Murdoch and Lightoller, then she managed a dance with all of the surviving officers. When she was dancing with Murdoch, she looked at him in the eye, seeing his strength and genuine affection for her. She knew that he was seeing the same in her eyes, and a new feeling came over her at that moment. Her mind flashed her a picture of the two of them together on the bow of a ship as the sun set, their hands joined. Murdoch was a dependable and loyal man, as he'd already proved, and Emilia found herself thinking what it would be like to be married to a man like him.

It was a funny feeling and one that she'd never had before, so she had to ignore it for the time being. Murdoch didn't notice and she didn't have that feeling when she danced with the other officers. Lightoller made her laugh, Lowe and Boxhall told her a little about their lives, and Pitman joked around with her.

At the close of the evening, in addition to the gift bags, Emilia presented Nellie Lowe, Sylvia Lightoller, and Ada Murdoch with a special present. Each woman received the signature necklace already in the gift bag, but Emilia had given each of them the ship's wheel in the form of a lapel pin with emeralds encrusted in it.

Each of the husbands pinned it onto the ladies' coat lapels amid cries of joy and astonishment. Emilia laughed at their reactions kindly and momentarily wished Murdoch was pinning that ornament on her, but she banished the thought.

"So Emilia, where are you going after this?" Lowe asked her, allowing his wife to take his arm.

"I'm going to spend Christmas with the family in Devonshire," she informed them. "we'll be going tomorrow afternoon and we'll arrive sometime around midnight. My entire family will be there for the first time all year, so it is something special."

"Keep in touch," Murdoch smiled at her. "it's been a real pleasure tonight."

"Likewise. It was a great pleasure to meet your wives tonight, gentlemen." they bade cordial goodbyes and left, Emilia's eyes lingering on Murdoch as he departed with Ada.

Late that night, Emilia was sitting in her room in the Southampton townhouse, tucking away her tiara while sitting at her vanity. She was clad in a brown robe over a white nightshirt, all the finery of the night had been taken off and put away. The princess dabbed makeup remover over her eyes and rubbed off the silver eyeliner expertly. Next she took her hair down out of the French twist and began to brush it out.  
"Honey?" her father knocked on her door and peered in. "It's late and we need an early start tomorrow to get to Devonshire."  
"Dad, I can't stop thinking about Murdoch."

Stephen was about to leave the doorway when he heard her and turned back. "What?"

"You heard me. I danced with him and I wanted to be with him for the rest of the night," she admitted, standing up and going over to her father. "my mind's been shanghaied."

"Not at all, dear! You're in love with him."

"He's married."

"It's normal to have a crush on people, Emilia. Even married people have crushes on others."

"Do you speak from experience, Dad?" teasingly Emilia gave her father a coy glance, giggling.

"I do, darling. Never mind, he's a taken man and you will find someone. Don't lose your faith." Stephen put his hand under her chin and pecked her on the cheek. Emilia's eyes shone with affection for her father as he smiled encouragingly.

"Right, Dad."

"In the meantime," Stephen took his daughter by the hand. "I never got a dance with my charming young lady tonight so I'm going to have to rectify that now."

"Oh, Daddy!" Emilia laughed, her father always knew how to cheer her up. If she tried to unburden herself to her mother, she would just get a lecture on how women were supposed to be stoic and never show emotion. Emilia's mother had never known how to deal with emotion, something her daughter recognized at an early age. Stephen had seen the frustration in his daughter and counseled her, teaching the appropriate ways to express emotion.

"Come on now love, time for bed."

"OK, Dad." Emilia sat down on the bed and Stephen left, turning off the light and closing the door.

LETTERS

"Dear Emilia;

"It was such a pleasure to see you at the gala for your new jewelry collection. Ada can't stop talking about you now, as she admires the pin you had done for her and the lighthouse necklace she wears at every chance she can get. She would love to have you to our hourse to have supper sometime if you would be interested.

"Things are getting very busy in town, as we've been decorating our house for Christmas, shopping, getting ready for our usual festivities. Lightoller and his family come over for Christmas Eve, then we enjoy a few hours together. On Christmas day it is just Ada and I, as my parents and sister are up in Dalbeattie and cannot make the journey down to see us this year. Neither one of us wanted to make the journey up there to see them, to be honest. A Christmas by ourselves is all that we wanted this year.

"I am at a loss, I confess, at what to get you for Christmas or if you even wanted anything. What could I get a royal? At any rate, Ada's at me to go to the service in church so I must sign off now.

"Fondly, Will."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"It's been 3 weeks and no reply from you and I admit I am starting to get worried. Are you all right?

"Having a fun Christmas? I bet you've got all sorts of gala parties and balls to go to and have fun with a lot of people of varied backgrounds. Were you up dancing until midnight and weaving stories with the other young matrons of society? Regaling people with tales of your officer friends perhaps?

"We had a fun Christmas as always and New Year's was something special. We went with Charles and his family to the grand party in the town square and counted down the last seconds. Fireworks were shot off, people celebrated with the new jazz band in town playing ragtime tunes, it was wonderful!

"As of now, Ada is a bit sick but we expect that to dissipate in time. It was most likely due to us being out until the wee hours of the morning and carrying on like a clutch of animals!

"I have seen newspaper articles-something about an Edward James Sean Worthington-a relative? They say he is making strides in the music industry because of his devotion to his instrument of choice, the piano. Do you play as well? The thought never occurred to me.  
"Ada's ill so I must go and tend to her. Do write back, Emilia.

"Fondly, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"I only have time to drop you a short line. I'm busy trying to help my brother find venues for his new music hall act. He predicts that jazz will really take off one of these days and he specifically asked for my help.

"No, I don't play piano and I can't sing to save my life. I was never very musically-inclined come to think of it. I am devoted to art like drawing and sculpting, but I never was any good at music or the performance arts. Edward-my brother, has been playing piano and studying the violin for many years now and is a real virtuoso at playing them both. He composes music like I create new pieces of jewelry.

"Demand for the Lighthouse collection is skyrocketing and I'm so busy now between that and my brother, I barely have time to do anything else. I haven't slept in two days so I'm going to post this note and hopefully get a full night's sleep for once!

"Best wishes for Ada, I hope it isn't anything serious.

"Fondly, an exhausted and on the verge of passing out EAF."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"I am in receipt of your letter and I have found a few news articles about you and your brother about to open up a new music hall to replace the old one that burned down 6 years ago. More and more young people are into the jazz scene now and I'm sure more families will congregate to the halls to get a dose of music. Do you allow the hall to be used for social functions as well?

"Over the past week, Ada's condition has deteriorated. I am at a loss to describe what is wrong with her and the doctor doesn't know either. She's been bedridden for almost two weeks now, she has a bad cough and keeps getting weaker.

"I fear for her, Emilia. I fear that one day I'll get up in the morning and she won't be there. I guess that's all I can say at this point. The doctor doesn't hold out much hope and it pains me to write that let alone think it.

"The doctor leaves a nurse to care for Ada during the day while I go to the White Star Line offices to line up cargo, supplies, etc for the next voyage of the Oceanic, which is Lights's favorite ship. I tend to Ada during the night, trying to get her to drink something which mostly doesn't work. Lights knows about this and he came down yesterday to see her, then he managed to fast talk her into drinking water. Honestly I don't know how he does it, it's a real talent.

"So how is life for you, Emilia? Interesting, I doubt.

"Yours, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"I'm so sorry to hear about Ada. I'm near Southampton now in the family house, so wire me if you need me to come and help you. She's a wonderful woman and I refuse to believe that you might lose her.

"Things have quieted down some since the music hall opened. It is available for rental for any function, yes. My brother figures he can turn a modest profit from the space and he wants to eventually turn it into a theater. He hasn't quite figured it out yet, but I think he'll do an additional space for the theater with a proper orchestra pit. There's a renewed interest in the arts going on right now and I think my brother will do pretty well.

"My father begs to be remembered to you. I happened to mention Ada to him and he has volunteered the family physician for you if you would like to accept. If not, that's OK too; he won't feel insulted.

"I would like to volunteer my services if you like, but I do not want to infringe upon what is surely private time for you and your wife. Just remember, wire me and I will come. I feel for you and I will help you if you like. This is an open offer with no expiration date.  
"Prayers be with you and Ada. I will think of you and pray for you both daily.

"EAF."

* * *

TELEGRAM FROM WILL MURDOCH TO EMILIA AF WORTHINGTON  
"Ada deathly ill STOP. Please come at once I need your help STOP."

It was a lazy day for Emilia as it was mid January and the business had slowed down. She wasn't needed to make public appearances and the next royal engagement was a few months away. The princess was loafing around on her chaise lounge, reading a volume of Charlotte Bronte when there was a knock at her door.

"Miss?" her new butler, Alphonse, opened up the door a crack. "This telegram just arrived for you."

"Bring it here then." he obeyed. Emilia's heart sank as she opened up the envelope and read the note. "Alphonse, pack my bags with enough clothes for 3 weeks. I depart for Belmont Road immediately."

"Yes, miss." Alphonse had been instructed not to call her royal highness as she preferred miss over all of the proper titles. The butler went over to the closet, opened up the double doors, sorting out her dresses.

"I'm going to inform my father of this, Alphonse. I'll be right back."

"Of course, miss." the butler bowed to her and went to her closet as she opened up the door to her room and power walked down the hall.  
Emilia went downstairs, her heels clattering on the hardwood loudly as she just barely managed to avoid tripping on her own hemline. In the living room or drawing room as they called it, there was a white marble fireplace, a light blue Chesterfield couch and loveseat, and rich dark oak furniture. The couch and loveseat had a brocade printed fabric for upholstery, the oak end tables had tall lamps with dangling lampshade fringe in white. A baby grand piano stood in the corner, sleek looking in its black paint and clear lacquer polish.

The princess's mother Evelyn was sitting on the couch with a glass of brandy for tea time enjoying a chat with her husband. Stephen was chuckling at the bit of society gossip that Evelyn was telling him as he pulled at his teacup.

Evelyn jumped, nearly sloshing brandy on the couch. "Goodness, child! There's no need to rush about in such a hurry!" she set her glass down on the end table, hands in her lap, looking at her daughter expectantly. Stephen put his teacup aside, knowing that his daughter was worried about her friend Murdoch and his wife's ill health. Evelyn eyed her daughter almost impassively, a bit jealous of the fact that Emilia always went to her father first.

"Darling, what is it?" the patriarch asked, taking his daughter's hands in his own, staring into her eyes with deep concern etched into his features.

"It's Will, Dad! His wife's really ill and he'd only send for me if it was an emergency!" she thrust the telegram at her father who read it, face draining of color. Evelyn appeared similarly alarmed, having heard Emilia's stories of Murdoch and how fond her daughter was of him.  
"Tell Alphonse to pack for you and I'll go and get the streetcar ready to drop you off in."

"Thank you, Dad. 'Bye, Mom." she pecked her mother on the cheek and fled upstairs like her rear was on fire. Evelyn watched her daughter go, a look of mild amusement on her face. The matriarch had classic royal features, a soft oblong face, blue eyes, some laugh lines around her eyes. Her dark blonde hair was wound up in a braided bun at the back of her head, she wore a simple blue dress for that snowy day.

"You're just like your father, dear," Evelyn chuckled and set down her glass. "my sweet little girl." she stood up and sat down at the piano to play.

Alphonse watched his young mistress with the perpetual bleak look on his face as Emilia picked up her suitcase. The young butler was a little younger than Emilia, thin and agile looking with a slight build. He had dark brown curly hair with a little stubble on his face with keen brown eyes.

"Thank you Alphonse, I'll send word when I am to arrive home." she fled out the door, her long braid had come undone and was flying behind her as she clattered downstairs. Alphonse heard the bang of the door as it shut.

Evelyn stopped Emilia briefly, buttoning on her coat and adorning it with her favorite blue and white scarf. "It's very cold out there, dear, make sure you don't catch a chill now." she directed, tying a knot in the left hand side.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Put that braid back up! You're not a wild woman!" Evelyn called out as Emilia shot outside, masking the smile of mild annoyance as her father pulled up in the new Renault.

"I'm so grateful to you, Dad." she threw her suitcase in the back heedlessly and clambered aboard the car with her father's helping hand. Emilia arranged her skirt so it didn't get caught in the door as her father's valet shut the door with a respectful nod as they pulled away.  
"Nonsense my dear." they didn't say a word as the car left the driveway and went into town. Stephen glanced over at Emilia a few times as he guided the car through the twists and turns, negotiating local traffic. It only took a few minutes to get into the side of town that Murdoch lived in, so her father drove to the sidewalk and pulled over. Emilia yanked out her suitcase, thanked her father, then dashed up the walkway to Murdoch's house, slipping in her heels on the newly fallen snow.

Emilia knocked loudly but still nobody answered the door. The princess tried the door, found it was open, and then leaned on the door to peer inside. "Will?"

Inside the house it looked like nobody had been taking care of the necessary chores for awhile now. Murdoch's coat was on the ground, shelves of books were askew, the carpet needed a good cleaning, not to mention some magazines were scrawled around at random.  
"Sheesh," setting her suitcase down near the door, she shut it and took a few cautious steps inside. "Will?" following the trail of assorted clothing and dirt, Emilia found the way to the master bedroom. Knocking once, she pushed the door open all the way, saying Murdoch's name again.

"Too late..." Murdoch was kneeling at the side of the bed with a still form lying on top of it. The officer's voice was thick with sobs and shaking slightly, but he stopped it. "Ada..." his face was buried in his hands as Emilia's jaw fell open. It made sense to her why the house was in such disarray now-Murdoch had taken his grief and rage out on anything he could get his hands on.

"Oh Lord," Emilia went to stand beside him, not knowing on how to approach him to comfort him. "Will, I'm so sorry..."

The officer lifted up his tearstained face to glimpse Emilia through his blurry eyes. "Just as soon as I got back from sending you the...telegram.. she.."

"Don't talk," the princess instructed him. "Will, come on. This isn't helping you." Murdoch looked terrible, his eyes all bloodshot and swollen from his tears, he hadn't shaved for several days, and he had a bit of a smell attached to him. Emilia put her hand on his shoulder in a friendly squeeze for a moment before gently drawing him up to stand. The officer wobbled a bit as his legs were numb, but regained his equilibrium.

"I can't leave her!" he protested, knowing he was being silly but not able to help it. Emilia took a firm hand and drew the sheet over Ada's body, cutting her off from his sight. The poor woman's body was nearly translucent gray and it looked like she had wasted away for awhile with the disease. In death, the blood was settling, rigor mortis was coming in, and she had a little color back in her cheeks. Emilia bit her lip as she turned back to Murdoch, who was wiping his eyes.

"There's nothing you can do now. Come on, let's get this place cleaned up."

"Emilia.."

"Will, you need a distraction. Has the district doctor come yet to sign the death certificate?"

"He's on his way." Murdoch stood up stiffly, his legs cramped from kneeling down for so long. The officer managed to pull himself together enough so that he could help Emilia clean up his house and show her where things went.

"This is your room." he showed her. Emilia put her suitcase in the corner, observing the light brown room with oak paneling. A twin bed stood in one corner with no sheets on it, but she could remedy that later on. The princess nodded in satisfaction as the doctor knocked on the door, ready to perform his duty.

While the doctor was engaged, Murdoch sat on the couch, twisting his hands anxiously. Emilia made hot chocolate and handed a mug to Murdoch who took it with no interest.

"How about something a little stronger?" a bottle of Scotch whiskey was presented and Murdoch gave her the ghost of a grin. The whiskey burned some sense back into him, then he put a little into the hot drink. Emilia produced a small bottle of peppermint schnapps, put a bit in her mug, and took a sip.

"Thanks." Murdoch rasped. "Guess I made a spectacle of myself."

Emilia shook her head with a wistful smile. "I think you're under obligations to do that now. Did she ask for me?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Em." Murdoch closed his eyes and turned his head away in grief.

"Fair enough." they both heard footsteps in the hall and the doctor appeared.

"Mrs. Murdoch died of consumption. I'm putting the certificate in the county register, and I'll assign a nurse to come here and take care of the body." he shook Murdoch's hand warmly. "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Mr. Murdoch. She was a fine lady."

"Aye, a sweet lady..." he teared up again but forced them back. Emilia cuffed him on the shoulder for a moment before thanking the doctor and walking him out. "Emilia, would you take care of the body? She always liked you."

"We only met once, Will." she inwardly shuddered, not liking the idea of being in a room with a cadaver.

"Aye, but she loved my stories of you and would always check the daily rag in case you were mentioned. If we had more time, you and her would have been real friends."

"I would have liked that," Emilia admitted. "I'll see to her body, Will. You lay down here and try to get some rest. I know you've got a raging headache."

After all that crying, Murdoch did have one hell of a headache. The whiskey only dulled it a bit but he really needed sleep to cure him. He grunted and lay back on the couch, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. Emilia took off her coat, just realizing that she had it on all that time, and spread it out over her friend. She reached over and stirred up a fire in the fireplace, then steeled herself for the duty she had to perform.

In the bedroom with Ada's body, a basin full of warm soapy water, Emilia hitched up the sleeves of her dress, pulled the sheet off the body, undressed it, then began to wash it down. Her mind on auto pilot as it was, Emilia dried off the body, then picked out a dress to clothe the body in. Soon, Ada was in a light red dress with white lace on the throat and wrists, and Emilia had combed out Ada's hair, putting it in a braid and pinning it to the back of her head.

"That should be enough." since it was in the middle of winter, Ada would have a basic service, then there would be a lengthy hold in an underground tomb until the ground thawed out enough to bury her.

One hour had passed since Emilia had begun her mission, and when she came out of the room, Murdoch was sleeping on the sofa soundly. The princess drew up a chair and sat beside the prone form of her friend, unwilling to wake him up. Emilia put her hand on his head and drew back a few strands of hair that had fallen loose from his hairdo.

The princess sat loyally by her friend until she realized that it was nearing 5 PM and therefore supper time. She stood up, brushed out her skirt, then marched into the kitchen. A quick surveyance of the cabinets and cupboards told her that there was nothing in the house that was even remotely edible.

"Guess I have to go shopping then." she muttered and picked up her overcoat. Writing a note to Murdoch in case he woke up while she was out, Emilia picked up her purse and left the house.

Returning from her errand, Emilia saw that Murdoch had never moved an inch. Satisfied, Emilia set to work in the kitchen. Her mother had an interest in cooking and taught her a few tricks of the trade, including teaching her a few valued family recipes. Murdoch looked a bit pale faced as the stress of caring for Ada had definitely taken a toll on him.

The princess wasn't a bad cook, but she was a far cry from being anywhere near a professional. She pulled out her items from her bag and began to work away. Emilia smiled to herself, remembering that when her parents were out on a date night or working away from home, she would often step up and make the meals by herself. Her education had taught her the basics of cooking and she would often make dinners for the family as well. Even though her family was royalty, her father didn't believe in keeping a chef on the house staff. It was unheard of to have royalty cook for themselves, but Stephen was very progressive in his mind, insisting that all of his children learn how to cook. Evelyn had insisted that all the children learn how to sew so that they were well-rounded and could fend for themselves.

Emilia filled a stockpot with water and set it on one of the burners, putting more coal in the stove so the water would boil. She glanced at the clock on the wall and began to prep supper, taking up a knife and starting to slice.

About 30 minutes later, Murdoch woke up to a wonderful smell emanating from the kitchen. He yawned and stretched, happy to find that his headache had faded down to a very mild throbbing. The officer stood up and went over to the kitchen to see what Emilia was up to.

"Smells wonderful." Emilia was opening up the oven and pulling something out. She glanced up to see Murdoch standing there, his blue eyes dulled slightly from grief but looking alert as ever. The princess pushed shut the door and put the pan on the range top.

"Come on over and dig in then." she invited. "I've got your good old Scotch whiskey here for a little shot." Murdoch did so and for a few minutes there was only the clinking sound of cutlery, glasses being raised and lowered, drinks being poured.

"Suppose I have to talk to the funeral director tomorrow," Murdoch tried to keep his voice neutral, but a hint of emotion belied itself to Emilia's ears. "he'll want to tend to the body and make arrangements. We can't bury her in the winter, we'll have to wait until summer to inter her properly."

"That's the standard, Will." Emilia stood up, retrieved the plates, then started washing up. "why don't you head up to bed, all right? Take a bath or something because you look... unkempt."

Murdoch fingered his 3 day old stubble. "You may be right there."

"Go on!" Emilia scolded. "I'm the woman and I'm always right!"

Three days later, Murdoch's parents came down from Dalbeattie to attend the funeral. Samuel and Jeannie Murdoch, though elderly, still radiated the healthy and robust Scottish energy. Samuel rapped on the door with his brass headed walking stick, producing two hollow thuds.  
The door was opened and to the couple's surprise, a royal princess greeted them at the door. Samuel's blue eyes opened wide, Jeanne's mouth almost dropped open.

"Your highness," Samuel said in his gravely voice, attempting to bow as Jeannie did likewise. "what an honor to have you visiting our son!"  
"Oh, please, sir," Emilia took his hand. "I'm not here in any royal capacity. Please do come in, you must be tired from your journey." the elderly couple walked into the living room, still a bit shocked that a royal princess was sharing the abode of their humble son. Jeannie halfheartedly wondered if Murdoch had already taken a lover and Samuel, like he could read her mind, met her eyes and shook his head slightly, meaning no. She understood and banished the thought from her head, knowing her own son would not be so impulsive.

Emilia turned away from the couple and called Murdoch to come out from his room. Not wanting to intrude on the family's time together, the princess returned to her bedroom where she sat down on the bed, gazing out the window.

Murdoch came in, knotting his tie tightly. He still looked pale and tired, but that was waning as Emilia's cooking had reversed the process. The sailor still slept badly at night though he didn't mention it to anyone. Clad in his black pants and white shirt, Murdoch was dressing to go to the funeral.

"Mom, Dad," he pecked his parents on the cheek. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Nonsense, son," Samuel appraised Murdoch critically. "we wouldn't desert you in your hour of need." Jeanne checked her son out as well, noticing that he was too thin for her taste, too pale, though there was a little color starting to come back in his cheeks. Embracing her son, she squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"Do you want to take a minute to freshen up a bit?" Murdoch offered.

"No, we're ready to go." Jeanne answered. "Is your new friend coming with us?"

"No, Mom. She didn't know Ada-they only met once, and a royal there at the funeral would attract too much attention. Shall we go?"

"Lead on, Will."

Emilia watched them from her ajar door depart the property, remembering it was only yesterday when the undertaker took Ada's body away. Murdoch had not wanted to see them do it, so he stayed in Emilia's room until she told him that it was all clear. When he came out of the room, he had a fresh attack of sobbing, so Emilia sat with him on the couch, enfolded him in her arms and let him have a good cry. She knew how cleansing it could be in the long run.

Sitting on the couch, Emilia wished she had known Ada better so she could grieve along with Murdoch. It must have been hard for him to be with a lady who didn't know his late wife at all. Why exactly did Murdoch want her there if she didn't know his wife? She had asked him how long was she to stay there and he'd only say for a few weeks or so. Murdoch was damnably vague about the whole thing, so Emilia contented herself with thinking that her stay wasn't the first and foremost thing on his mind at the moment.

Picking up a book from Murdoch's pile, she saw several volumes on seamanship, probably inherited from his father, and only a few books that she would be interested in. Emilia picked out Faust, intrigued by the title, settled down and started reading.

When the funeral concluded, Murdoch walked with his parents down to his house. It was a bitter cold day and it had started to snow, big fat flakes falling fast. Murdoch wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, adjusted his hat, then plunged his hands into his pockets. People walked by, the occasional straggler trying to keep up with a crowd scurried past, and parents admonished their children to stick close to them at all times. A motorcar rumbled past, nearly spraying the officer with slush from near the street gutter.

"So tell us about Emilia, Will." Samuel Murdoch may have been elderly, but he still had a spring in his step and a lively gait to his walk. Jeannie had his arm; she still blushed like a schoolgirl when Samuel would help her over patches of ice. Murdoch had to smile, as it was great to see his mom and dad still acting like young people in love.

"What's there to say, Dad? I was in charge of her with my friend Charles for the ill fated Titanic voyage."

"Didn't you save her life?" Jeanne remembered an article written after the tragedy that in which Emilia had called all the surviving officers heroes and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all of them. The elderly woman had felt her heart warming up for the young lady she'd never met. Seeing Emilia in her son's home had given her a start, but she knew that the royal was there just as a friend instinctively. Murdoch had written them about Emilia a few times and he was always very positive, writing about her in a fond and affectionate way.

"She says that," Murdoch flushed a bit. "I put her into a lifeboat like everyone else, Mom. She forced me in after her as there were no more boats, telling me that I had done my job and it was every man for himself."

"She was right," Samuel acknowledged. From his years as a sea captain, he knew when a ship was too far gone to save it, and there was always a time when a sailor had to abandon ship and save themselves. "son, you couldn't have done any more than you already did. You can't live in the past now."

"Your father's right. We thank the Lord everyday that you were spared. Why exactly is Princess Worthington here, Will?"

Murdoch paused. "Ada did send for her but by the time she arrived, it was too late. Emilia's been a big help, cooking and cleaning for me."

Jeanne's brows knit themselves together as they reached the walkway in front of Murdoch's house. "You have that young woman doing wife chores for you, son!"

"Mom?"

"It's true!" she insisted. "Will, you're grieving and that's normal, but Emilia can't be there for you every single day for the rest of your life. She's got a life to get back to and you need to resume your normal life as soon as possible. The best way to honor Ada's memory is to live your life as normal as you can. You have to come to terms with your loss, Will."

"She's right, son," Samuel faced Murdoch. "set aside time to grieve, but do not lose sight of what's important in your life. Make sure that Emilia knows how much you appreciate her."

"You've given me a lot to think about," Murdoch admitted. "will you have supper with us?"

"Don't take too much time to think about it, son. Emilia will think she's doing thankless work and she will leave you because she will think that you don't appreciate her." Samuel warned as he opened the door, standing back to let Jeanne in first.

Over the next day after seeing his parents off on their journey back home, Murdoch sat on the couch in the living room while Emilia sat in the armchair, much deeper into Faust than the previous day. The princess wore a simple red dress, diamond stud earrings and no necklace. Emilia was wearing her hair down that day, gathered into a simple braid and hanging over one shoulder. Murdoch gazed at her for a long moment. The princess was sitting placidly on the chair like she was posing for a portrait to be painted of herself. The officer studied her face, which was so warm and caring, but he'd seen her furious only once-when Hockley had tried to hold her at gunpoint before she boarded a lifeboat. Why Emilia hadn't found a suitor yet puzzled Murdoch, as any man would be glad to have her. He started a bit as she turned a page, having gotten too used to the silence as they sat there.

"Emilia," Murdoch spoke suddenly. "I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've done for me this past week."

She smiled, looking up from her book. "I was glad to help you in any way possible, Will." her hazel eyes seemed to light up from within as she met his eyes. Murdoch's mind flashed him an image of himself and Emilia kissing. Confused for a second, he cleared his mind and made sure he wasn't blushing.

"For that I thank you. You're invaluable to me." what did his mind mean by that? His wife was barely cold in the tomb and he was already having fanciful thoughts of another woman!

"Thanks, Will." Emilia saw his little pause and a faint flush being forced back from his cheeks. Choosing not to say anything was her best recourse at the moment, she wisely decided. Putting a finger in the book to mark her place, Emilia folded it closed and leaned over to Murdoch as he began to speak again.

"I heard from the White Star Line offices today. I am to be getting a position on board the Suevic as chief officer, and I ship out tomorrow."  
"Isn't that a bit sudden?" Emilia twirled her finger in the end of her braid. "Are you over your grief already?"

"I will never be one hundred percent over it, Emilia. My parents told me that I should resume my normal life and not be mired down in grief." he steepled his fingers together under his chin, looking up at Emilia with his wide blue eyes.

"Sound advice," Emilia commented. "you can grieve a little bit inbetween shifts."

"I imagine so," Murdoch said darkly, not liking the idea. "my plan is to let life go on as usual. Charles will be with me so he will support me a bit in my moments."

"Good. Sounds like you have it all worked out. I shall wire my parents and tell them to have the towncar here tonight so I can go." she stood up, ready to go to the telegraph office and have the wire sent out, but Murdoch reached out and caught her arm. Emilia's eyebrows narrowed not in anger, but confusion.

"Tomorrow," Murdoch was impulsive for a moment but he stopped and checked himself. "it's a bit late now, don't you think?"

Emilia glanced at the clock. "I suppose so. Will, you deserve a break. How about you come with me this spring to my small house in Kent?"

"If you'd be willing to put up with me for any stretch of time, than I guess I can make do with it. Any entertainment?"

"Well, I have a few horses, a pasture, I even have a small sailing boat that I don't know how to use." Emilia admitted with a wry smile. "I had always been terrified of capsizing but after what I have survived last spring, I think that's very trivial. Besides I like to swim anyway."

"Very good. I'll teach you how to sail then." Murdoch glanced at the clock on the wall. "I suppose I'll turn in. This day passed by quickly."

"That's good, isn't it?" Emilia edged back onto her seat, stretching out lazily as she reopened her book. Murdoch as he passed by the back of her seat, leaned over and pecked her on the forehead.

"I'd say it is. I have you to thank for a lot lately." she looked at him upside down as he smiled, then an identical smile crept onto her own features. "Your highness."

"Get to bed!" she swatted at him with the book, making him laugh.

Murdoch went to bed but he wasn't able to sleep very well. Thoughts of his late wife came into his mind and he unwillingly remembered the day of her death. She had woken up that day with a sense that it was the end for her and when she had told Murdoch that, he'd vehemently denied it.

Ada had always been the wisest one in their relationship. She asked for Emilia, despite only having met her once, she'd always liked her. Murdoch had let her read the correspondence between the two of them and Ada could see Emilia's character behind the words. Ada asked for Emilia to be by her side before she died, not telling Murdoch why, though he had an inkling why in his own mind.

He'd sent the wire to Emilia as fast as he could that afternoon, literally running to and from the telegraph office which was only four blocks away. When he returned, Ada was in the process of drawing her last breath. The officer begged her to hold on until Emilia's arrival, but Ada could not wait any longer. If it hadn't been for her disease, Murdoch would have kissed her goodbye. As it was, Ada wasn't even dead for ten minutes when Murdoch heard his name being called by the princess.

The officer sat up in bed and glanced in the doorway, seeing Emilia pass by with a lighted candle on the way to her room. She had a ghostly appearance in the darkness, Murdoch thought as her silhouette disappeared.

Strangely the fact that she was in the house with him gave him a comforting thought, then he realized he was falling asleep.  
A neighbor's rooster crowing brought Murdoch awake. He rubbed his eyes, sat up in bed, then got dressed for the day. Emilia was already up, wearing a black and white dress, sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in her hand.

"Morning, Will." she greeted him cheerfully. "Coffee for you?"

"Yes please!" he picked up the coffeepot before she moved, served himself, then sat down next to her. "Heading home today?"

"Yes. The car will be here in about ten minutes. Dad and I are going up to Edinburgh for some ceremony, I forget what it is exactly. It's been a nice little interlude all things considered." Emilia shot a glance at Murdoch, afraid she might have spoken out of turn or implied something other than the truth.

"Well, I'm glad you could come." was all Murdoch could think of. "My assignment is on the Mediterranean run for a few months, then who can tell what they will assign me on next? I've asked not to be on the north Atlantic run during the springtime for awhile."

"I never did ask-they blame you personally for the disaster?"

"What?"

"The inquiries, did they put the blame on you for the Titanic disaster at all?"

"If they had do you think I would be here talking about my next officer stint on a White Star Line vessel?" Murdoch chuckled. "No, they took Lightoller's advice and agreed that assigning blame was pretty pointless. It was an accident, plain and simple. As I'm sure you've heard, Mr. Ismay shouldered most of the scrutiny."

"Yes, the Brute Ismay moniker," Emilia mused as she absentmindedly sipped her coffee. "I didn't like him, he was really pompous, but he didn't deserve to be publicly crucified in this manner. Anyone facing the same circumstances would flee to safety too. It's the basic instinct."  
"I agree with that wholeheartedly," Murdoch commented. "what's that?"

"The car is here." a horn honk sounded outside and Emilia stood up. She admitted her father's valet into the hall to pick up her trunk she had repacked last night, then glanced over to see Murdoch approaching her. "It's time for me to go home and become her royal highness again."  
"Stay in touch?"

"Of course." Emilia put Murdoch's hat on his head, then shrugged into her coat. The princess allowed Murdoch to wrap her scarf around her neck. She pecked him on the cheek with a chuckle, then put her leather gloves on.

"All ready, your highness."

Emilia blinked and rolled her eyes. "Now we're back to that," she mumbled as Murdoch chuckled back at her. "stay in touch, write me often."  
"You do the same." he kissed her on the cheek and saw her down the pathway. The princess had to go slowly as the snow had littered the ground liberally, but there was a thin coating of ice over every visible surface. Emilia accepted the hand of the valet as he opened the door then steered her into the car. Murdoch waved as soon as he saw her peering out the window towards him. She returned it, then the car started up and drove off.


	3. Chapter 3

PART 3:  
Visiting the country house

"Dear Will;

"How are you feeling nowadays? Been keeping up with Lightoller and your duties on ship? I hope Charles is helping you out with your grief in your moments. I know you have them and it's very natural. Just remember that you're not alone in losing someone very dear to you. I myself lost my grandmother several years ago. I would have told you that time heals, but everyone sees it differently.

"I hope Charles hasn't been haranguing you too much! He does have a tendency to get into mischief though I'm certain I haven't heard all his stories.

"I'm doing all right and accompanying my sister Sarah off to the dreary plains of Ireland. I was about to go to Edinburgh with my father to keep up our royal engagements, but our mother dear has decided to go with Dad, so they elected me to escort my dear baby sister as my brothers are engaged with other things on their itineraries.

"Sarah is going back to school for the winter term. From what I can recall from the place, it is a finishing school in the middle of nowhere run by a severe mistress. She's always dressed in black, I've never seen that old vulture smile, and she has a crass word for everyone. The bitch told me that my posture was horrible and I needed to work on getting myself a man! I regarded her the same way I regarded old Hockley and told her that I didn't need a man to feel complete and one would just get in my way. The hag's reaction was a muttered you're one of those types and walked away.

"Will, I worry about Sarah. She is desperate for a man though she's only 18 years old! If she chooses hastily, she will regret it. I fear she will be compromising herself-she's barely old enough to be fully mature. Sarah should be self-assured, confident, secure in her prospects, and the men will be attracted to her because of that. It's all in the personality, what comes inside than taught mannerisms.  
"This will make sense to you won't it, Will? I have this sense that Sarah's going to make a horrible mistake one of these days. I can't shake the feeling at all.

"Do you think that I should say something about this to her? She will probably just laugh it off, but I feel the need to say something, especially as a concerned sister.

"Well, I must see my sister off to the school. I'll write you soon.  
"Fondly, EAF."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"I've been quite busy on the Mediterranean run and Lights has been giving me a run for my money recently! I think he thinks that he needs to keep me occupied with work and my mind hasn't had any time to grieve. That's his technique and I have to say that it is working.  
"My father was right, going back out on the sea really gives me a sense of normalcy as far as seagoing officers ever experience! I have a few new junior officers to break in. The new ones are Clyde and Burroughs, smart and keen young men with more ebullience than I ever did have at that age. They are the sixth officers on an apprenticeship, albeit a temporary one. The youths are good working class, very hardy and rugged enough to stand their watches in all weather types.

"Clyde tends to be hyperactive, never wanting to sit still or even stand still for that matter! He's rather short, a curly-headed blonde man who I regularly assign rounds of the ship. He loves to be active and harnessing his energy to do the rounds as often as possible seems like a good use. Clyde accepts responsibility with a real zeal that I've not seen since Lightoller when he came aboard the White Star Line.  
"I will write to you of the first time I sailed with Lights later on in the future. You spoke of Lights's mischievous prank prone attitude and have I got a story to tell you later on!

"Yes, I think you should tell your sister exactly what's on your mind and the sooner the better. At least she would know how you feel regardless. She may take you at face value, then again she may consider your words later on as well.  
"Look at it this way-what have you got to lose?

"My bunk is calling me, so I'm going to go and pay a visit to the sandman.

"Regards, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"I did exactly what you said and the wretched sister of mine just downright yelled at me! I don't think the meant any of it, but the look on her face spoke volumes and it was just as I feared. She's desperate now and will marry any man who as much as even looks at her. It's worse than I feared so I've written to my parents whom I'm sure will try to attempt some intervention.

"i don't want anything to do with her now, so I've departed for the townhouse in outer Southampton now just to keep myself free of her insane attitude. During her torrent of an outburst, she accused me of being 'complacent' in my spinsterhood and said while I would be satisfied with not having a man behind me who loved me, what mark was I going to leave on the world? She was insinuating that without getting married, history wouldn't remember me at all.

"It just occurred to me while I was writing that, Will-do you think my baby sister is jealous of me and my brothers? I'm in the family business, Edward is into music, he owns a music hall, has a few scholarships for promising young musicians, and he is a top conductor.

"Did I ever tell you about my older brother Randal? Randal was obviously the firstborn son and I know my parents have groomed him for the throne since day one. We were never subjected to any favoritism growing up, but we all knew that Randal was superior in a way. He honestly looks like a prince and he has a natural grace. Randal Stephen Albert Worthington has always been hands on.

"By that I mean he liked to build things and he hasn't ever stopped! Randal has built several partnering companies of contractors which have landed several large scale jobs throughout London and he's in the middle of branching out the business in America, which explains his long absence from home. Randal's been in the USA for several months now and I don't expect him home for another few years. My father visited him briefly in California when I was crossing the ocean on Titanic, but quickly went back to Halifax once he heard I was due for arrival there soon.

"What are your thoughts on this and when do you dock in Southampton next?

"Emilia."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"I will be in Southampton by the first of March. This will be a quick letter, as Lights is due back from his watch any moment and he will give me a song and dance about who I'm writing to, all his teasing, etc. He did say that it was a shame you weren't on board as we have several first class people who mistakenly call themselves royals when they have the manners of gutter rats.

"You know as well as I do that high class individuals who have no class call themselves royals because of their pompous attitudes. It does get wearing after awhile, especially on poor Clyde and Burroughs! Some of the more haughty dowagers on board have treated them like bellhops. I had to come to Burroughs's rescue yesterday while some ill mannered old lady barked at him like he was her servant! I had to point out that since Burroughs was in uniform, he was on duty and officers do not mingle with the passengers. Strict White Star Line policy.

"The old lady wasn't ashamed in the least! Oh no, she proceeded to tell me that she had ordered Burroughs to take her luggage down into the room, but I overrode her on that one, telling her off. She tried to talk down to me, calling me a Scotch git, which rode on my last nerve, I tell you!

"I'd had enough of her attitude, so I called for the Master-at-arms to detain the old hag until we were off shift. She was indignant, but I did not care at all. Burroughs and I reported to the captain what had happened and he supported us a hundred percent on what I did. In case the hag made trouble later on, he had us draw up a statement and sign it. The captain added his signature and a note saying we had disclosed this information to him and he approved.

"At times like this I often think of Captain Smith. He really cared for his officers and it is the same type of thing he would have done for me if he were around today. I remember one time was I was quite ill due to a bad cold (we were passing through the north Atlantic), and I was sequestered in the cabin Lights and I had to share, then Smith came down after Lights had started his watch. I didn't expect to have the captain visit me while I was ill, but he did so. He really cared for us.

"Some flashbacks do distress Lights and me at times, but we have learned to deal with it and move on. There's no sense living in the past as Lights would say.

"Speaking of which, I better post this now while Lights is out on his rounds.

"Fondly, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"Well, it happened. After ONLY a month of courtship, Sarah has gotten engaged to a young French viscount named Tristan Jean-Yves Dumont. Like I have already predicted, he is an avaricious nasty man and it pains me to see her hang onto his arm when we are at any social function together.

"Even Mom is worried about her. I do not mean to imply that my mother is lacking in her parenting skills, it just annoyed me growing up that she tried to make me a proper lady. Sarah certainly did, and she made the wrong decisions even though she went to a finishing school. This is proof that education inside a classroom isn't always right.

"She's 19, I'm 22, and I have a world of experience compared to her. Do you agree Will, that it is a good idea for a lady to go out in the world so she can get to know herself as well as others? That's what I did and I may be a spinster for life, at least I do things my way and never compromise! Sarah settled for less than what she's worth, she could have done better, now she will never live up to her full potential. I want to accuse Mom of being too smothering with Sarah but that won't solve anything and it's rather moot point now, isn't it?

"Mom and Dad just said previously to let Sarah make her own choices now. If she wants to marry him, then she will. It breaks my heart to see her so forlorn and now engaged to a drunken oaf whose family is quite rich I grant you, but she's a royal and he's just a nobleman. Sarah could have someone so much better if she just kept her patience. I blame the finishing school.

"They put too much emphasis on getting married and it really irks me to no end.

"I hate society, Will, I really do.

"On another note, I didn't know Captain Smith would visit his officers if they were ill. He seemed like a very nice gentleman when I met him. I would have liked to get to know him a bit more, maybe throw him a retirement party if the voyage had been successful.  
"So how has your voyage been? I am currently on the French coast attending Sarah's engagement party, the future groom disgusts me so much I begged my father to let me return to the guest house, pretending to be feeling a bit ill so I could write out my feelings to you.  
"I think I have tired myself out sufficiently enough so I could sleep now. Goodnight, Will.

"Fondly, Emilia."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"My apologies because this letter is late. The post at sea is always very slow! It is now mid-March and I haven't been able to write since now. Our junior officers have been keeping me occupied both on and off duty. Burroughs is showing a lot of promise and aptitude for being a navigator. He knows of Joseph Boxhall and would love to meet him, so our captain will arrange a transfer once the ship docks around mid-May.  
"The Mediterranean route is extremely popular, we have taken on more time doing that route to try to head off the spring rush of travelers. I believe the Baltic and the Medic will be joining us on that route as well to keep the travelers in accordance to their schedules. I've never seen such an influx of travelers before at this time of year.

"Anyway, our officer Clyde, while having no extraordinary talents, is quite mature and levelheaded for his age. He is excellent with a sextant, speaks with a deep and pleasant voice, and has the cheerful personality that makes everyone smile at him. He confided to me though he'd like to be a ship's purser. His father apprenticed him to sea to learn to be a seaman and essentially forced his son to be an officer. Clyde figures he would be an officer until he is of age in a few years, then do what he chooses to do, which is to become the purser's junior assistant.

"I wondered if he should be the junior assistant now, but Clyde dissuaded me from that idea, saying he wanted a thorough understanding of all the jobs on board ship, engineer, officer, purser, etc, then he would settle on what he likes best. He's a smart fellow and one I regard highly. Bright lad.

"I'm sorry to hear about your sister and I certainly understand where you are coming from, Emilia. Sarah is an adult now and she can make her own choices certainly, but she lacks the common sense and real world wisdom that you possess in mass quantities. It's time for you to distance yourself from your sister, Emilia, and let her make her own mistakes. If she will marry that man, then she will do and very possibly regret it in the not too near future.

"You might hope that she will cancel the engagement and if she does, you will receive her with open arms, tell her how proud you are of her and whatnot. If she doesn't, then you have to give her distance. Only if she asks to see you and asks why you have been so distant then you tell her what you feel.

"It seems to me that you're trying to take over for your mother by telling Sarah what to do and she's finally rebelling against it. It's very natural as I'm sure you've done it and might still continue to do it. Time to let go, Emilia.

"On another note, in another week or two I will be done with the Mediterranean run and I can come up to your country house in early June, providing that I can get the burial service for Ada finished up and over with for good now.

"I hope nothing goes wrong on this last voyage! Lights has pointed out to me that the Mediterranean run is so popular now is because of the ever present threat of icebergs like there were last year. People are getting paranoid though good security measures are now being instilled into maritime law, the majority of them suggestions by me and Lights to the board of inquiries on both sides of the Atlantic.  
"I'll send you a telegram when I start my journey up to Kent.

"Remember what I've said. I don't want you getting in the way of your sister and her fiance and possibly getting hurt.

"Fondly, Will."

* * *

TELEGRAM FROM EMILIA AF WORTHINGTON TO WILLIAM MURDOCH:  
Am at the Kent house on the 2nd of June STOP. My butler Alphonse will see to you if you arrive before I do STOP.

ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF SARAH ELIZABETH FARTHING WORTHINGTON TO TRISTAN JEAN-YVES DUMONT IN THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE:

"The happy couple announced their engagement yesterday from the coast of Brittany in France only after a scant month of courtship. The bride's father is Stephen Daniel Alan of Westmorland, her mother Evelyn Mary Victoria is from Hertfordshire. The brothers of the bride are Randal Stephen Albert who currently is living in California, and Edward James Sean of Southampton. The bride's sister is Emilia Audrey Frances who survived the Titanic disaster and has recently launched a new jewelry line inspired by her adventures.

"The groom's parents are Benoit Frederic Mickael Jean Dumont, the groom's mother is Sandrine Jeanne Delphine Dumont (nee Duquesne). The Dumonts own a winery in Brittany and are very wealthy, having descended from a baron. Mr. Dumont has no siblings, but is very active in sport boat racing.

"The date of the wedding has not been set yet."

* * *

On May 20th, Murdoch arrived in Kent on the train. He retrieved his luggage from the platform, straightened up his peacoat and collar, then walked to the exit of the train station. Glancing around, he didn't see anyone recognizable at first, then he spied the towncar that Emilia's family owned.

Happy to leave the noisy and crowded train station, Murdoch smiled, took a fresh grip on his suitcase, then offered a courteous nod to a young man with curly brown hair and dark eyes.

"Mr. Murdoch?" the young man asked with a nod back.

"Yes that's right."

"I'm her royal highness Emilia's butler, Alphonse. Pleasure." he opened up the door of the car and Murdoch swung aboard. The car lurched into motion and Murdoch pondered the young man for a moment. Alphonse was well-educated certainly, but his mannerism towards Murdoch was pretty cold. The officer surmised that the young man decided that he didn't have any use for charm. Whatever the reason if there was one, Alphonse came across as cold and aloof to him.

The past months at sea had been kind to him. Murdoch sported a healthy tan, he had the satisfaction of training two new officers, and he felt more content with life now. He did have a few moments of grieving for Ada and Lightoller managed to sense when his friend felt low both times. They did share a room after all, but they had been shipmates for a long time and Lightoller had an uncanny sense of knowing when Murdoch was not at his best.

Like Emilia had done, Lightoller had persuaded him to tell what he was feeling, validated the emotions, and told Murdoch just to let it out. Murdoch was very grateful he had been blessed with such great friends in his life. Lightoller had purposely acted like a fool in front of him, clowning around as such, making Murdoch forget his moodiness. His friend could do near perfect imitations of many people on the ship, his classic one was of Cal Hockley and his antics, memorable even now.

"Here we are, sir," Alphonse opened up the door. Murdoch was startled from his musings, having been so deep in thought that he hadn't even realized that the car had stopped. "may I present to you the personal estate of Miss Emilia Worthington, the Daffodil House."

"I can see why she calls it that." the whole house was painted a pale yellow with white shutters. It was in a Queen Anne style house, two floors with several gables. Two rows of daffodils lined the flagstoned pathway, small hedges were right up against the front of the house, immaculately trimmed. Tucked beside the house was the carriage house in matching colors, and beside that was a barn and a fenced in paddock for the horses.

Murdoch could see a young piebald horse and a Palomino mare grazing contentedly, switching their tails against the spring onslaught of flies. Hens clucked nearby as well, picking off the insects from the grass.

Alphonse picked up Murdoch's suitcase and led him up the front stairs. "This way, sir." he opened up the white door and Murdoch tagged along, astounded at the size of the entrance hall. Shiny cherry hardwood glinted in the sunlight, two landscape portraits were on both walls, and a hardwood staircase with decorative wrought iron railings dominated the room.

There was a group portrait of the family hanging on one wall, and on both sides of the stair landing was a potted ivy plant climbing a trellis.

"Amazing."

"Well well, Mr. Murdoch finally shows up!" Emilia teased, walking in a side door. Murdoch turned to spy his old friend wearing a light green sundress and she was removing a straw boater hat that was tied around the crown with wide green ribbon. She hung up the hat on the row of pegs in the closet nearby and gestured to Murdoch. He took off his peacoat, revealing his white shirt and loose brown tweed vest with no tie.

"Didn't we go for casual today!" Emilia gave him a saucy grin as she hung up his coat. "Come! I'll show you to the room that I've prepared for you."

"All right." Murdoch hung up his hat next to hers and shut the closet door. The two of them ascended the stairs, his hand gliding on the chilly wrought iron railing. Emilia led the way down a carpeted hallway, showing him to a room which was cozy and airy at the same time. The floor was more cherry hardwood, a big throw rug was sitting under the bed which had been made up with a cheerful colored quilt. The room was painted a light blue with white door molding, all the furniture was made out of pine which had a walnut colored stain on it. There was a small mirror on the bureau which was adjustable to tilt to any height he needed it to, even french doors leading out onto a small balcony.

"Wow." was all he could say. The windows had sheer white curtains on them, tied back with matching ties, letting the noonday sun blaze down upon the room. Murdoch leaned out the window, seeing the balcony had two lounge chairs and a small end table.

"Isn't it though?" Alphonse had brought Murdoch's suitcase there earlier. "This was my sister Sarah's room when we were children."

"Was it? It's very lovely." he didn't know a more appropriate response after all that had transpired within the last month or so.  
"Yes indeed. Would you like to see my room?"

"Certainly." Emilia led him across the hall where she revealed her room which looked out over the eastern part of the house. The room had been painted a light purple, a small vase of fragrant tulips sat on her makeup vanity. Her room did not have french doors nor a balcony, but she didn't care about that type of thing. The furniture had all been made out of maple wood, stained a light color, and Emilia had a 4 poster canopy bed with tied back curtains at all 4 sides.

"I love it," she explained when she saw him staring at her bed. "I think it adds a bit of elegance to my room and it definitely helps to shield the sun from me when it rises in the east each morning."

"It would," the fabric was a medium purple which was dark enough to protect her from the sun, but light enough so he would still be able to see her through the curtain itself.

"So, are you hungry, Will? Alphonse will have lunch served up any moment."

"Delighted, Emilia," she claimed his arm and both promenaded down the stairs like a royal couple. Murdoch had his head high like he'd seen royals do before, and Emilia did similarly. "well, could I pass for a royal now?"

"You do a better job than many royals I already know, Will." she laughed, playfully smacking his shoulder. "Come on. Alphonse always outdoes himself."

During lunchtime, Alphonse kept his distance but Murdoch was unnerved. The man had a piercing gaze with his dark eyes which were riveted onto Emilia at all times. It seemed the butler was paying more attention to Emilia than anything else when she was around. The officer noted that Alphonse had marked indifference towards him, but he chalked that up to the two barely knowing each other.

"Well Emilia, what shall we do first?" the plates cleared away, Emilia got up and Murdoch followed her out onto the side yard. She sat down on a bench underneath a magnificent white arbor and looked up at her friend.

"How have you been doing?" it was not just a polite question; she really wanted to know.

Murdoch sat down next to her with a little grunt. Two bluebirds nearby began to fight over the granite birdbath which sat in the center of the little path leading into the woods on one side of the property. Emilia glanced over at the loud birds, rolling her eyes with annoyance at the noise.

"I think it's easier for me to be in new surroundings," Murdoch folded his hands together on his lap. "it's been almost 6 months now and I still think she'll open up the door on the day of my return from any voyage and kiss me hello. Charles has been helping out the best he can and he gave me a bit of advice which I quite cherish to be honest."

"Really?"

"Yes. He told me to write a letter to Ada, being as honest as possible. Then then I was done, I was to tear it up and toss it into a fire. I get my feelings out and I don't have to be reminded of them at all."

"I'm sure she knows your feelings, Will. She was your wife after all." Murdoch winced at the past tense but did not shy away from his friend. "Besides, do you think she wants you to be sad or happy?" the princess continued. "I think she wants you to live out your life the way you want to. Nobody will stand in your way."

"You're probably right." Murdoch allowed as he plucked a daisy out of the garden and tucked it behind Emilia's left ear.

"Of course I'm right! So what do you want to do first?"

"Take me on a tour of the property including that sailboat you can't manage."

"Oh, fine!" Emilia got out of the swing and took her shoes off, tossing them beside the back door. "I want to feel the grass under my bare feet!" Murdoch took off after her as she sprinted across the back lawn, giggling all the way.

"There's the fountain!" she cried out as she ran past. "Mom hates cherubs so she got this one instead!"

The fountain was carved out of granite and depicted a winged angel kneeling and in her hands was a large jar which had water pouring out of it. The angel had long curly hair and wore a toga cinched over her right side. Water bubbled out of the jar, making a small stream into the base of the fountain.

"Nice!" Murdoch was in good shape from his constant walking around ships so he had no problem keeping up with Emilia as she led him to the shoreline. A small hardwood dock lay in the water, tethered to it was a small sailboat painted bright red. The mast was up, the sails were down, no name was printed on the stern.

"I'm horrible at this thing. I haven't even gotten into it in years." Murdoch sprang into the boat like he was born to and expertly undid the knot that tethered the boat to the bitt.

"Want to come?" he glanced up at her, narrowing his eyes a bit because of the sun.

"Not really," Emilia admitted. "I've capsized in that thing and I've had enough of the sailboats!"

"Suit yourself then. I'll go for a spin around and come back by suppertime."

"If you don't flip the boat!"

"I'm a salty sea dog, I don't flip boats!" he protested mockingly, pretending to be arrogant and also making the boat seesaw back and forth a little bit. "Yikes!"

Emilia laughed. "In the bay over there it's good fishing I heard! In the center compartment you'll find everything you need, have fun!"

"Ta ta!" Murdoch expertly ran up the sails, adjusted them accordingly and in no time at all he was barely in sight any more. Emilia walked along the property, taking the clip out of her hair and letting the bun fall back into its single braid.

The property was filled with memories for her. Over by the dock was where she and her siblings frolicked in the water growing up, they once put soap in the fountain in the backyard, causing the fountain to spew forth soapy bubbles for several hours. Her father had laughed about it privately, but her mother was livid with anger.

Emilia walked over to the fountain, remembering the time when her brother Randal had dared her to put soap in the fountain, she'd done it, and it wasn't long before her mother had found out. Red-faced with anger, Evelyn had pointed out how much the fountain cost and heaven help them if it broke in any way and was expensive to fix! Stephen had come to Emilia's room later on that night, his face red with mirth. Emilia knew the routine, as her dad would come into her room if she'd pulled off a prank that he in particular really liked, tell her how great it was privately, and tell her not to do it again.

"Where has Mr. Murdoch gone, miss?" Alphonse startled her. He had come out the back door and with a watering can in his hand, got to work tending to the rosebushes.

"He's taking the sailboat out for awhile." Emilia answered, going over to the arbor and sitting down on it again.

"Not going with him?"

"No. Last time I got a dunking. I'm not keen on that boat."

"I see," Alphonse chuckled dryly. "not everyone's keen on water sports."

"I love to swim, but it's too cold for that."

"Far too cold," Alphonse agreed, stooping down to water the plants near the arbor. "it won't be until July that the water warms up enough."

"True. I'm just glad Will's here."

"Close friends are you?"

"He is. He saved my life, Alphonse. We were all on Titanic and he saved my life by getting me onto a lifeboat and took care of me that horrible night."

"I didn't know you both were on the ship that night. I can see why you regard him so highly."

"Yes indeed. He's my only friend, really."

"Now I wouldn't say that. You have me too." Alphonse leaned on the arbor and stared into Emilia's eyes. She smiled and met his eyes, albeit a bit nervously. Emilia's own butler unsettled her some. He always seemed to have a vacant look in his eyes like he wasn't completely there mentally. There was no sparkle of humor or anything.

"Well, you're staff, Alphonse. With Will I can be totally myself and he doesn't judge me." she took the flower out from behind her ear that Murdoch had put there earlier and twisted it in her fingers as Alphonse pulled weeds.

"That's not true. I don't judge you."

"Thanks, Alf, but it's not the same between us as it is between me and Will." she got up and left the backyard, going upstairs to outside balcony with the daisy still in her hands.

Since Emilia's room didn't face the water, she went into Murdoch's room, depositing the flower on his bureau, she then crossed over to one side of the room to open up the french doors. Positioning herself on the balcony, Emilia settled back so she could watch the dock in the distance to see when Murdoch came in. The princess exhaled happily and before she knew it, she was falling asleep.

* * *

Murdoch came back to the dock when the sun was just starting to set. Whistling happily, he pulled himself out of the boat, tethered it to the bitt, then pulled on a small chain which was dangling over the stern part of the sailboat. Four fish flapped and gleamed there in the late light, two rainbow trout, a largemouth bass, and a sunfish. Murdoch detached the cluster of fish from the chain, then started off towards the house, whistling contentedly.

"Hello, Alphonse," Murdoch greeted him merrily. "I have fish for supper tonight!" he presented the butler with the catch. The butler's face was expressionless like it always was when he was around Murdoch, blandly taking the fish and cutting the heads off. Alphonse put the heads in the garbage, then made a line underneath the fish belly, drawing a long cut and pulling out the spinal cord and guts. Murdoch admired the butler's quick and deft technique as he took a rasp and began to descale the fish.

"Have you seen Emilia?"

"Yes. She is upstairs right now, on the balcony in your room." the butler answered shortly as he began to filet the fish.

"All right." Murdoch went out into the hall, climbed the steps, then went into his room. "Emilia?" he asked, going onto the balcony. The princess was asleep though slightly shivering as the weather had started to turn chilly. Murdoch had a momentary memory of her asleep on Titanic as he'd moved her from her sitting room to the bedroom, and he performed the same action now, moving her from the balcony to the bedroom. He put her onto the bed and turned to his suitcase, unpacking his clothes.

He was nearly done when Emilia made a faint noise, then opened up her eyes. Murdoch glanced over at her, walking over to Emilia as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. He sat down on the edge and smiled down at his friend. "Was that a good nap?" the rest had put a bit of color back in her cheeks, she looked more delicate and enticing to his eyes.

"Yes. How long has it been?"

"Oh, about 40 minutes or so." the officer glanced at his pocket watch. "I brought back some fish and your butler should be making them up about now. Ready?"

Emilia's eyes lit up as Murdoch laughed, knowing her fondness for fish. "Yeah!" the princess got up, stretched, then nearly lost her balance. Murdoch had to catch her as there was the sound of someone clearing their throat at the door.

"Supper's ready." Alphonse told them sedately, narrowing his eyebrows a bit at Murdoch, which they both saw.

"What's with him?" the officer released Emilia who pulled the elastic off of her long braid, letting it fly loose. Murdoch inwardly admired the effect, as it seemed to make her look younger and very sweet to his eyes. Her brown hair was very wavy from being in the braid and accentuated her features nicely.

"He's very proper like a butler is supposed to be and shuns human contact." Emilia answered, wrapping the elastic around her wrist loosely. "He's all I could ask for in a butler, but he's such a cold fish with no personality at all."

"I'm inclined to agree with you on that one," Murdoch nodded as they went out into the hall, walked down the stairs, then went into the dining room. Two places were already set up with covered plates awaiting them. "he's very efficient."

"One of his great qualities." Emilia and Murdoch sat down and began supper.

Alphonse worked in the kitchen, cleaning up and eavesdropping shamelessly as the couple (as he had deemed they were a couple in his mind). They didn't say anything of much interest to him as he scrubbed down the pots and pans, drying them and hanging them up.  
The butler had come into service with the Worthingtons about 4 years ago and immediately fell in love with the beautiful young princess. Emilia had taken him on as her personal attendant, promptly scandalizing her mother in the process. Only maids were allowed to be princess's attendants, but Emilia had just laughed. She had told her mother that times were changing and she wasn't partial to whether it was male or female who helped her dress or undress for the day. Alphonse had been used to being a valet, so it was a completely different system for him to learn and get used to.

When he had come to them, he only had one reference previously, he was cold and had no place to live. Stephen was a kind a just man, told him that his daughter was looking for help, and had her interview them. Emilia had said that Alphonse was what she wanted if he could handle dressing a lady, and he said he could deal with it. He had 3 sisters so he was no strangers to ladies or their undergarments.

He still helped Emilia with her corset every morning or when she chose to wear one. He was old-fashioned in his thinking, and always was willing to do his duty. There were a few times when he was unable to work due to illness and Emilia had always been gracious in giving him days off.

"Well there Will, what do we do until bedtime?" they got up and left the room, bringing Alphonse the dishes.

"What kind of books have you got here?"

"Oh, you would ask that! Well, we have a large volume of books. Me and my siblings were always into reading. Who do you like?" they walked across the entryway and Emilia opened up an oak door leading into the library of the house.

"Wow." the room was paneled in mahogany with a pool table in one corner, several shelves of books all around the perimeter of the room, a fireplace with two wingback chairs in front of it.

"So dark in here," Emilia crossed to the window and opened the blinds. "better."

Murdoch made a fire in the fireplace, lit the lamps, then examined the bookshelves closely. He pulled down an interesting looking volume called A Year Before the Mast, sat down on one of the chairs and began to read.

"It's that easy to satisfy you?" Emilia teased, picking out a book of Poe and sitting down opposite him. Murdoch gave a little chuckle but he was mostly concentrating on the book.

Two hours passed with both of them deeply engrossed in their books. It wasn't until the fire was dying behind the grating that Emilia looked up from her book. She stretched and yawned, putting a marker in her book, closing it, then putting it onto the small end table. Murdoch had fallen asleep over his book, his head drooping. Emilia smiled, put a marker in his book, then put it on top of hers on the end table.  
"Come on Will, time to head for the sack." she shook his shoulder gently, rousing him. He stirred a little bit and woke up fully when she called his name again. "Bedtime." Emilia privately thought that Murdoch looked very sweet when he was asleep, so relaxed and innocent. The princess picked up his hand and rubbed the back of it, thinking how capable he was as a merchant mariner from what she had seen previously.

"Right," he grumbled and allowed Emilia to lead him up the stairs into his room. "Goodnight, Emilia."

"Goodnight, Will." she went to her room, put on her white nightdress, then collapsed in her bed, drawing the curtains closed.

* * *

For the next few days, Murdoch and Emilia visited the local town, took walks in the woods, and often times just sat around and gossiped. Neither of them tired of each other's company, they laughed and joked around, played a few pranks on each other and the like. Murdoch related his tales of the sea, telling her about the time when Lightoller played his infamous prank on the citizens of Australia by firing off a gun at Fort Dennison and raising a Boer flag.

Emilia laughed as hard as she ever did as Murdoch related the incident with a wry smile. The two of them were sitting on the grass on the estate near the paddock where the piebald grazed. Emilia reached through the fence and stroked her horse's nose lovingly as the mare whickered in Murdoch's ear.

"Where were you in the incident, Will?" she questioned. "I don't think you could stop him once he gets going, but you might have been able to stall him a bit."

"Trust me, I couldn't stop him even if I tried," Murdoch shook his head. "one of his first voyages with the line and he nearly gets sacked for a prank he played. He was damn lucky that the superintendent thought it was hilarious. As for me, I was sick at the time and had been under a doctor's care for a bad cold."

"Well, so much for the old thought that merchant mariners were a bunch of old stiffs." Emilia wound her braid up into the knot at the back of her head as she watched her friend's blue eyes dance around merrily as he talked.

"You couldn't be more wrong, my dear. We salty sea dogs have a lot of stories and we do love the occasional prank or joke." Murdoch stood up, dusting himself off. "So what should we do now?"

"Want to learn how to ride a horse?" Emilia stood as well, stroking her horse fondly. "My old friend Roger could help in that respect."

"Really? I've ridden once or twice." the mare switched her tail as Roger looked up suddenly like a dog that heard his favorite word.

"Yes. Cora the mare over there is always eager for a ride."

"Are they gentle?"

"Very." Emilia hitched up her skirts and dodged the fence, stepped up on an old wood block, then mounted Roger barebacked. Murdoch attempted to do so a few times to mount Cora before she finally let him up, swearing slightly. The mare had a sporting streak in her nature and playfully tried to toss him, but he wrapped his fists in her mane and hung on tightly. Cora sensed this was a no nonsense rider who knew her tricks, so she gave up.

"Oh. She thought you were a novice and started to get up to her old games again." Emilia observed as Roger pranced around his old friend. "She's always been that way."

"Bit of a bitch is she?"

"Sometimes. You want to ride bareback or do you want a saddle?"

"Which is more comfortable?"

"For a beginner I would recommend a saddle. Come on, this way." she led him over to the barn and showed him how to put a saddle on Cora while she did the same to Roger. Emilia instructed him on how to mount the horse successfully, then gave him a few simple commands for Cora.

"Remember, she's perfectly trained. Just keep in mind the commands and she'll obey you." Emilia cautioned him. "And let fly!" she barked a command Murdoch couldn't hear and Roger tore out of the gate as she yelled, encouraging him on.

Murdoch managed to get Cora in the same direction running flat out and caught up with Emilia on the woods trails. Emilia was grinning gleefully as she pulled Roger to a walk to take a break from running as he ambled along the nature trail. Cora walked up beside him, they nudged noses, then turned to happily walking together as a hawk passed by overhead.

"These two have been getting fat and lazy since wintertime and we have to take the mickey out of them so they get working fit again!" Emilia declared, nudging Roger with her boot a little bit. "Won't be long until the planting season starts up and we'll have these two hitched up to a plow."

"Your family does their own garden?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm out here, really. My brother Randal is in charge of the farming, he has a few people out to help him. These horses belong to him and when he heard that I was coming out here, he asked me to exercise these two and get them on the grass here instead of the dry feed. We all need exercise."

"True." Murdoch allowed. Emilia steered the horses onto a nature trail that circled the woods and brought them right back to the paddock. On the way back, Roger saw a snake, snorted and shied away. Emilia tried to control him, but all too late he reared and she was thrown off.  
"Emilia!" he turned Cora away from the snake by force, then dismounted in a hurry. With Cora's lines in his hands, he knelt down beside his friend who was sitting up on the dirt. "All right?"

"For the most part," she rasped, her throat clogged with dust she had inhaled. "calm him down so we can get home." Murdoch helped up his friend, watching her with a guarded glance, trying to see how she was affected by the fall. Emilia got up without a qualm and picked up the reins to Roger.

"Hey boy," she cooed to the horse soothingly. "it's all right now, we're going home." the horse seemed to understand her completely and bunted her head with his long face. Emilia managed to mount Roger with Murdoch's assistance, but she was only able to sit sidesaddle.  
When they returned to the barn, Emilia and Murdoch took the saddles and bridles off of the horses and allowed them to roll around in the paddock, making sure they had plenty of water in the trough.

"Sure you're all right?"

"No," Emilia grunted. "I think I bruised my hip in the fall, Will." they walked upstairs to her room, Murdoch looking like he was afraid she was going to collapse at any minute. Once she had shut the door, she exhaled loudly and started pulling off her dress. Murdoch watched her as her hands scrabbled to lift the hem up over her head. He stood behind her and assisted her, noticing that her hands were full of scratches.

"Emilia, your hands are bleeding."

"I know. Will, unlace my corset, will you? Feels like I can't breathe."

"Sure." he took up the strings and unknotted them, thinking of how many times he had done the same task for his late wife. She had always wanted them really tight but Murdoch was uncomfortable personally with how tight they should be. He had heard of ladies blacking out because the steels had been so tight they had compressed organs and lungs, reducing lung capacity.

Emilia sighed in relief as the corset was removed and she stood there in her undershirt and petticoat skirt. "Thanks, WIll. That feels better."  
"You're welcome. Now where are you hurting?"

"My right hip." she flopped onto bed, tucking up the right side of her underskirt and craning her neck to see her hip. Murdoch brushed the skirt aside and exhaled. "That's a bad bruise. Shall I send for Alphonse with some ice?"

"Not yet." just then there was a knock on the door and Alphonse appeared with Emilia's freshly laundered clothes in one hand. He took in the scene, seeing Emilia sitting on the bed with one side of her skirt hitched up and Murdoch's hand on her thigh.

"Miss?" his eyes widened as he put the clothes on top of the dresser and stood there with his hands behind his back. "What is this?"

"Her horse threw her, Alphonse. She's got a hell of a bruise on her right hip." Murdoch answered. The butler appeared not to hear Murdoch as his eyes snapped to Emilia, wordlessly asking if what Murdoch said was true.

"Yes, Alf. Our horses spotted a snake and you know how the horses get once they see them." she said placidly.

"Do you need anything?"

"Not at this moment, thank you." the butler left without another word. Emilia's eyes followed him out the door and she sighed. "He's a peculiar one."

"Alf?" Murdoch sat on the edge of her bed. "Seems like an odd duck to me."

"He's always been really quiet, Will. It unsettles my mother and she thinks he's up to something."

"Is your mother paranoid?"

"No, just protective. She says you can't be too careful when you are of royal blood."

"Makes sense I think."

"You think!" she gave him a playful swat on the shoulder. "So what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"It'll take you that long to mend?"

"See how well you take it after you get thrown from a horse!" Emilia groused good naturedly as she cinched her robe closed.

"Point taken. I think I'll write to Lights and keep him informed of our adventures."

"Tell him that I'll smack you if you get fresh with me."

"Oh I will..." Murdoch stood up in time to avoid getting a smack from Emilia as he went to the door.

"Now out with you while I get dressed!" she got up painfully and put her dresses away, peeling off her robe and selecting a light blue sundress to wear.

* * *

"Dear Lights;

"I've been vacationing with Emilia at her family's country abode for the past two weeks and it's been a wonderful time for both of us. I went out sailing her little boat alone, as she doesn't like sailing at all.

"Her family's place is on a quiet hilly countryside of Kent and she has a few of her brother's horses to take care of until he comes to get them. She's taught me some on horseback riding and it was great fun-until her horse saw a snake and threw her.

"She's absolutely fine, just a little banged up from the experience. I was a little worried, as she likes to mask her ills often.

"Talking of which, Emilia had not been feeling well this past week and tried to hide it from me. I knew better, badgered her into telling me, and then I find out she's afflicted with a shall I say strictly female disease if you get my meaning. She was slightly emotional which she managed to keep under control, then put warm blankets in her lap as a means of alleviating her pain. Alphonse her butler knew her routine quite well already as he came into her room with a hot drink, a good book, and several warmed blankets all ready for her.

"Her butler is very good to his mistress and I do confess that I find him a very odd character. I believe that he would take a bullet from her but he rarely even looks at me. He is a competent gentleman, but he is such a cold figure that even thinking about him has given me the chills. Odd.

"I keep telling Emilia that I want to get her into the sailboat and give her lessons, but alas she has put her foot down regarding that. Very firmly she states that she will never get into a sailboat again and I had to back off.

"Anyway, the pollen is rampant right now which is surprising as it usually happens in late June, and I've been sneezing a lot within the last two days alone. I only get relief if I take the sailboat away from the shore in the middle of the lake like I did yesterday. Emilia thinks I might be allergic to pollen or at least highly sensitive to it.

"Will tell you more later when I have time. Emilia's out in the garden and I have to go and help her (see she has me doing her literal dirty work?).

"Your friend Will."

* * *

Two weeks of fun and frolic drew to a close. Alphonse was loading up Emilia's things as she walked Murdoch out to the car. He loaded up his things in the trunk and sighed regretfully, looking up at the big house.

"I hate to have our fun ruined by our schedules," he said ruefully. "it'll be so long before we get vacation time again."

"In the meantime, I want you to keep your head up and do your job flawlessly. We're taking you right to the docks so you can get right to work." Alphonse came out and began to load Emilia's trunks into the car as well.

"Better go then. The Celtic's due to set sail in two hours."

Alphonse gave Murdoch an annoyed look as the sailor opened up the door to the car and guided Emilia in.

The ride was nearly silent as Murdoch and Emilia kept to themselves, wary of saying too much in front of the butler as he drove the car. Emilia's mind went to the picnic they had just yesterday.

They had been out on the back lawn near the water, Murdoch had just brought in the sailboat, detaching the mast and putting it aside. He told Emilia there was no point in letting the sailboat sit in the water and rust if nobody was using it. The sailor untied the line, pulled the boat up on shore, disconnected the mast, then flipped the sailboat over.

"Well, I believe your exertion has awarded you some beer," Emilia handed him a bottle which he took a gulp of and sat down on the grass next to her. "go easy now." they sat on a red and white checked blanket, and a picnic basket was between them. Nobody spoke for a few minutes as they enjoyed the repast Alphonse had packed them, then Murdoch tossed a few crumbs to the ducks.

"No way, Will! I'm not feeding those lousy buggers!" Emilia declared. "I hate ducks and geese!"

"Why would that be?" Murdoch mocked her. "Not cute enough for you?"

"No, they could have diseases, they've mean and vicious little bastards and I won't have them on my property at any time! They leave their crap everywhere too!"

"Calm down." Murdoch quelled her. Emilia rolled her eyes as she stretched out next to him, the hem of her pink dress flapping in a slight breeze. She wore her wide brimmed straw boater hat with her hair in its usual knot at the back of her head. "There are more important things in life than ducks."

"Like what?"

"Well, are you feeling any better than you were yesterday?"

Emilia blushed slightly. She'd had her female trouble the previous day as it happened every month, and Murdoch had been a sweetheart to her. He didn't know how to help her, so he let her help herself, then directed him on what to do if he did want to help her at all. The princess had spent most of the day on her bed trying to relax and she napped some of the day away. That time, when it crept up on her, always left her feeling very drained and slightly irritable. She had warned Murdoch what to expect so he wasn't surprised at all.

"Better."

"I'm glad. You slept a lot yesterday. Did you sleep well last night too?"

"Yes, so much better! I was so drained I didn't do much but sleep yesterday. Now you have me re-energized."

"Good. How about we take one last ride on the horses?"

"Deal. Let's bring this stuff over to Alphonse." they folded up the blanket, stowed the cutlery and dishes in the basket, and marched back to the house.

* * *

"We're here!" Alphonse announced. He braked the car, opened up the back and allowed the two stewards to take Murdoch's things to his cabin.

"Oh Will, I'm going to miss you all over again." Emilia stood next to Murdoch as he surveyed the ship with his eyes. He glanced at his friend, clad in a black skirt and blue shirt with belled sleeves. Emilia wore a blue hat with a white band around the crown as she gave him a saucy glance with her eyes.

"Don't forget to write and keep me informed of the situation with your sister," he directed her. "I want to know everything."

Emilia's face darkened a bit. "I'll try, Will. I hope she comes to her senses soon. The wedding is in 3 weeks in Burgundy."

"Be positive."

"Is this from firsthand experience?" she teased.

"Indeed it is. I have to board now but I will see you later. Stay in touch." he kissed the back of her hand, then she threw caution to the wind and kissed him on the cheek.

"You do the same now." the princess watched him walk away, surprised to find tears at the corners of her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and keep 'em coming! Here's where things get interesting...

Chapter 4: Tragedy and Scandal

"Dear Will;

"Sarah's wedding is in 72 hours and I have so much misgiving about this whole deal and I wonder why do I care so much? Sarah hasn't been nice to me for years but still, she's my sister! I want to wash my hands of the whole thing but it's hard to do when your own relation can't stand you.

"Oh, here's something that might anger you. Her intended, the LOVELY Tristan, sought a partner for a dance at a royal function and he chose me instead of his fiancee. One might excuse it in the context of him getting to know his future sister-in-law, but his conduct was more than ungentlemanly! For instance, he smelt of gin and tonic, his hands kept going downwards to my rear, and he kept leering at me.

"That's why I'm so fired up right now. Tristan danced with me which I didn't mind, but then he started sliding his hand toward my butt! I could smell the alcohol on his breath and he wouldn't remember any of this. I would not dishonor my family or do something negative that would be talked about, so instead of slapping him, I locked his hand in an iron grip and did not let it slip down. He started to get antsy about that, but I told him that he was not allowed to feel me up under any circumstances, he broke the dance and walked away angrily.

"He's been hitting on me too, trying to see what he can get away with. Every day we're here in this wretched country I've been locking my door at night. I fear he might try to do something to me that I would disapprove of if you get my meaning. Sarah just laughs off my fears and tells me that I'm jealous.

"I think that's what she wants me to be. Does that make sense, Will? She would be the first of us to get married and I know she's been jealous of me because of my travels and assorted endeavors.

"As soon as this is over, I'm never going to talk or correspond with her again. I hate to say it, but I'm better off without her.  
"From the emotionally drained Emilia."

ARTICLE FROM THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE

"Tragedy has struck the Worthington family last night, on the eve of Sarah Worthington and Tristan Dumont. The constable who investigated the scene spoke on the condition of anonymity as the scene is still being processed by the police:

"'It was a hellish scene, the young royal was lying on the floor beside her bed, her throat all black and blue with big swollen fingerprints all over it like she had been strangled. Her eyes were wide in horror, she was in her nightclothes, evidence she had been attacked during the night. At this time, we have no witnesses, as her fiance was out of the room and talking with some of his future in laws. We also are talking with the family who are giving us a list of possible suspects. Anyone who knows anything about this horrible crime is highly urged to step forward.'

"What of princess Emilia? 'The princess has locked herself in her room right now, utterly grief-stricken and inconsolable at this time. When she was told of her sister's death, she cried out in horror and fell to the floor in a dead faint. Only time will tell what really happened to the murdered princess.'

"Rumors had flown previously about the two sisters not getting along, but when asked, either one would reply that it was only a rumor and refuse to say any more than that. Stephen and Evelyn Worthington are in mourning as well, as is young Edward. They are making arrangements to bury their daughter and sibling as soon as the crime scene is processed, her body will be released to them soon.  
"We here at the Southampton Gazette would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Worthington family."

* * *

"Dear Emilia;  
"I was just informed by Lights of the tragedy concerning your family. Apparently Sylvia had read it in the local paper and sent Lights a copy. He and I read it and he wishes to extend his condolences and prayers to you.

"I extend mine as well of course, but I want to know what is going on with you. It's been two weeks since this happened and I know your sister's body is released into your family's custody for burial now. Are you all right? I heard you were under doctor's care.

"I imagine that you must feel somewhat guilty of feeling very angry and drained towards your sister and I imagine that she must be jealous of you, for all you've accomplished in your life. She wasn't as active or as involved as you and that would definitely invite some jealousy on her part. Perhaps she was feeling smothered by her mother and the finishing school and retaliated on you since you were able to escape it?

"Are there any new clues as to the identity of the killer? Lights and I think it is more than obvious that Sarah's brute of an intended is more than likely the culprit. The man is notorious for his drunken rages and it would not need a genius to point out that he might have killed her while inebriated.

"I beg of you to please write me back or have someone write for you on your behalf. I do not like to think of you alone and grieving. I will be back in Southampton next week so I may beat this letter home.  
"Fondly, the worried Will."

* * *

"Dear Mr. Murdoch;

"This is Edward Worthington writing to you at the behest of my sister. Ever since the murder, Emilia has been too distraught to answer her mail and asks that I write to let you know that she is all right.

"She won't go over this before I post it, so I can write confidently that she is not all right, not in the least. Emilia has taken Sarah's death the hardest in my family. When she first heard the news, she made an ungodly howl of grief the likes of which I had never heard before shortly before she collapsed. The doctor gave her a sedative to keep her asleep for most of the day and then told me that it would be a long time before Emilia would get over the grief.

"We all grieve differently and though I wasn't close to Sarah, I mourned for her. She turned into a real snotty bitch towards the end and I know that Emilia was torn up inside at her sister's rejection of her. Sarah was jealous of Emilia for a long time and it was because of their personalities. Emilia as you know is vivacious, boisterous, and she doesn't take no for an answer. Sarah was the exact opposite, she wanted to be like Emilia and never was.

"Our mother cottoned on to Sarah to be the perfect gentlewoman because I'm sure you heard about some of Emilia's antics growing up! Sarah seemed happy to be under our mother's wing, though she never seemed to realize just how smothering and stifling it was to be a proper lady. It is my theory that Sarah might had realized at some point just how barren her ilfe was and regretted not taking more initiative like Emilia.

"Whatever the reason now it is moot point. Sarah will be laid to rest at the end of the week and if you could be there for Emilia's emotional support, we would be glad to have you. Hopefully you will be in port by then?

"Hoping you are well, Ed Worthington."

* * *

FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE:

"Miss Sarah Worthington will be laid to rest at the Saint James churchyard after a memorial service in the adjoining church. Services are at 10 AM and the ceremony is invitation-only. Well wishers are encouraged to stay away from the churchyard to ensure that the funeral is private amongst family only."

William Murdoch adjusted his tie accordingly as he brought his suitcase down from the Celtic, having just endured a month long cruise in the hot climate of South America. He had enjoyed the local culture when he had a few moments to himself, but there was Emilia in the back of his mind all the time, more so when he heard of her sister's sudden death. It was a nice day outside, the seagulls screaming overhead, the water lapping at the pier, children were shouting and playing around with their parents. As Murdoch walked, he nodded and smiled to a middle aged couple strolling along dockside to admire the ships.

The letter he'd received from Edward had done nothing to assuage his fears. Emilia had taken it hard and knowing her as well as he did, he would have to give her a long talking to and encourage her to tell him what was on her mind. Her nerves were likely to be in a fragile state from all she had suffered recently so he'd have to tread carefully.

"Mr. Murdoch," a tall and slim young man with green eyes, brown hair and doorknocker mustache stepped out from the towncar near the dock. "I'm Edward Worthington. It is nice to 0finally meet you."

"I wish it was under more happy circumstances, sir."

"Please, Edward." the prince helped Murdoch stow his suitcase and other luggage, jumped into the car and Edward drove off.

"Let me inform you of the situation now, Mr. Murdoch-"  
"Call me Will."

"Very well, Will," Edward smiled. "we still have no clue as to the killer, but the police had to conclude the investigation as they say the case has gone cold. Emilia is blaming herself for the whole incident, we're getting ready to go to the funeral and I think that's about it."

"She's blaming herself?"

"I thought that she would," Edward sighed. "she told us about the falling out they had and Emilia thinks that she caused her sister's death somehow. Our parents tried to comfort her but she's been punishing herself."

"How?"

"She mentally berates herself and you can tell, I mean it shows on her face. I hate to put a burden on you, but if you could get her to at least eat something so she won't faint during the services would be a good thing."

Murdoch mulled over the situation in his mind. Emilia was smart but she was obviously too overcome by grief to think properly at the moment. If he could just get her back in her calm and rational mind, he could talk her down some, try to get her to see reason. It would be a long process, he allowed, but he had to try at least.

"You're quiet, Will."

"Just thinking on how I would be able to reach her." after a few more minutes they pulled up at the Southampton house.

Murdoch stepped out of the car and gazed upward at the tall Georgian style house. Edward helped him take his things inside where Alphonse stared at the sailor unsettlingly. The officer took no notice of him and his unnerving gaze, thoroughly used to it after the vacation he had with Emilia a month ago.

The house was a big two story structure made out of brick with white molding for the windows and doorframe. There was a bayside window with a model ship sitting in the window, hedges were sitting perfectly trimmed the length of the front of the house. Instead of a flagstoned pathway it was made of pure white marble and two Doric columns flanked the entranceway to the house.

Inside the house was even more grand than the outside. Maple hardwood floor gleamed in the entranceway, a curved staircase with ornate iron grillework decorated the banisters, there was a couch and a love seat in the sitting room along with a baby grand piano. A stone fireplace sat in front of the furniture with an iron poker in a holder nearby along with an ash bucket.

"Mr. Murdoch!" Stephen, dressed in deep black, did not hide the pleasure he felt at finally meeting the officer face to face. "I am very glad you could make it, sir." the two shook hands cordially.

"So this is the Mr. Murdoch?" Evelyn came into the room in a sweeping black gown and black hat. "A pleasure, sir. I also am very glad you could come. Alphonse, send for Emilia to come down at once." the lady of the house put her gloves into the deacon's bench that sat beside the stairs, it being too warm for them that day.

"Yes, madam." the butler walked out of the hallway.

"I wish I was here under happier circumstances," Murdoch sighed. "Emilia and I are good friends and she must be so devastated right now."

"Indeed," Stephen agreed. "that's a Scottish accent if I'm not mistaken. Are you from Glasgow?"

"Dalbeattie actually."

"Marvelous. I've been up there a time or two. Beautiful country." Murdoch could see that Emilia and her father were very much alike in personality now that he had finally met him. Before that he had seen Stephen at the preview of Emilia's Lighthouse jewelry line. Stephen had seemed like a great guy though he didn't meet him at the time, but he could see that father and daughter looked similar as well.

"Darling!" Evelyn saw Emilia come into the room also dressed in a black skirt and a black and white striped three quarter sleeved shirt. The shirt had lace in the collar and on the sleeves, Emilia had pinned a small ivy leaf brooch to her lapel, she wore simple sea star stud earrings and looked very pale to Murdoch's eyes.

Inwardly he was shocked. Emilia had lost weight, her eyes were a bit sunken, and there were dark shadows under her eyes as well. The princess had lost her tan from last year, her eyes were dim with only a faint hint of the sparkle of mischief.

The princess saw Murdoch and went over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "It's all right now, Em. I'm here." he whispered into her ear. She pulled away after a moment and Murdoch could read the pain and suffering in her eyes as clear as day. Emilia wore lipstick and nothing else, not even bothering to hide her paleness. Biting her lower lip, she gazed into Murdoch's blue eyes like she was searching for something.

"Come my dears and gentlemen," Stephen spoke up. "we must go."

* * *

At the churchyard, after the service in the church, Edward, Stephen and other men served as pallbearers, bringing the casket to its final resting spot. Emilia clutched convulsively at Murdoch's hand throughout the whole service. The family mausoleum had been opened up for the service and they interred Sarah in one of the crypts along the wall. The funeral director and the groundskeeper brought up the marble slab with the bronze nameplate and using a sealing compound, they put it into place, forever interring Sarah's remains. Emilia bowed her head low as Murdoch gave her hand a friendly squeeze.

"Come on," people started filing out as he tugged at her hand gently.

"it's all over now." they left the mausoleum and stood out in the churchyard to wait for the others. The family lined up to receive condolences from the assorted mourners. Emilia noticed everyone from the finishing school was in attendance, including the old headmistress that she privately termed the old battleaxe. The old woman was pale and it looked like she had cried a lot that day. They shook hands and the lady gave her condolences which Emilia nodded acknowledgement. To her surprise, the old woman squeezed her hands together and said, "She was a wonderful student and I will help keep her memory alive as I'm sure you all will."

"Thank you very much," Emilia privately thought that it would be a cold day in hell before she ever sponsored a scholarship for the finishing school her sister attended.

"Mr. Murdoch! Emilia has requested that you and her go straight home," Evelyn caught up to tthe sailor, who was standing just outside the gate. "she doesn't want to go to the reception and you have our permission to use the carriage to get back to the house."

"Oh, all right." Murdoch felt awkward amongst the higher classes of people but right now he was saved from dealing with them. There was a brief silence as Emilia came over to him and he walked to a different part of the churchyard.

"Will, where are we going?"

"Here." they arrived at a headstone that said ADA MURDOCH, BELOVED WIFE OF WILLIAM MURDOCH. In smaller letters it listed the day of her birth and death, then a loving inscription FOREVER REMEMBERED. The stone was small and made of granite but without a gravel bed attached. Emilia plucked the carnation from her lapel her father had put on her earlier, removed the pin, and knelt down, putting the carnation on Ada's grave.

"She definitely liked you, Em."

"She didn't know me that long," she unpinned the veil from her hat and tucked it under her arm. "I know she was a wonderful lady."

"I know another wonderful lady." Murdoch remarked.

"Did they bury her recently? The ground's still bare."

Indeed there were slivers of grass poking up but the mound was still visible. "It was only two weeks ago when the ground finally thawed and drained. It's been one hell of a mud season."

"That it has."

"Come on, it's time to go. Your mother has allowed us to leave without attending the reception."

The ride home was quiet. Murdoch helped her into the carriage and running the gamut of stares from people who were waiting to leave, Emilia hid her face until they reached home 20 minutes later. The sailor helped her down, then they walked into the house where Alphonse greeted them with a nod.

"Come on now," Murdoch reached under her chin and gently brought it up to meet his eyes. "I want you to tell me how you're really feeling. Alphonse, some tea if you please." the butler nodded and went into the kitchen without a word.

Emilia bit her lip, locked her gaze with Murdoch's, and her eyes flooded with tears. "Let's go upstairs, Will."

"Of course." she led him to her room. A month ago, he didn't think that anything would bring down Emilia's ebullient spirit, but here he was proven wrong. Months ago he had lost his wife and Emilia had helped him grieve so now he was going to return the favor.

Once they were in her room, she peeled off the black skirt and shirt, sitting down in her corset, bathrobe, and underskirt. Murdoch sat next to her on the bed, waiting for her to speak.

"God, it's all my fault, Will!" the words came rushing out so fast he didn't catch all of it but remembered what Edward had told him earlier. Emilia blamed herself for Sarah's death and though unreasonable, it was her frame of mind at the moment. "I told her she was marrying scum, she called me a jealous wench, then I told her I'd be happy if I never saw her again!"

"Go on." Murdoch encouraged, hearing Emilia speak her feelings would help her mend her heart. Alphonse brought the tea, Murdoch thanked him and he saw the butler slip Emilia a glance that was part worry, part something else that the sailor could not identify. Upon the butler leaving, Murdoch coaxed Emilia to at least drink something which did make her feel somewhat better.

For the next hour, Emilia unburdened herself to Murdoch, finding the sailor her captive audience who would not ridicule her or tell her that her feelings were wrong. He heard everything, how Sarah was smothered by her mother as a child, how Emilia stepped out from the shadows and cast her own, how Sarah took her own jealousy and anger out on Emilia. Both of them had tried to work together on charity drives, but there were arguments and hurt feelings all around. Sarah hadn't understood why Emilia kept trying to reconcile, got angry, then she met Tristan at a wine tasting hosted by her finishing school.

"She yelled at me when I told her Tristan was no good," Emilia wiped her eyes. "Will, he was a nasty lying sod who was permanently drunk and no good for her! Sarah called me a jealous bitch and slammed the door in my face. When I wrote that letter to you, Tristan had indeed tried to flirt with me at one of the parties, I told Sarah and the next thing I know is she's dead!"

"Did you tell the police this?"

"No. They wouldn't believe me anyway," Emilia yawned, suddenly feeling very weary. She threw a glance at the wall clock and saw that it was nearly 7 PM and their tea was long finished. "I'm so tired."

"Come on. I think you missed your supper anyway. Shall I send Alphonse up for you?"

"Um, OK."

A short time later, Emilia had a light repast from the kitchen which made her feel marginally better. Murdoch appraised her again behind his keen blue eyes, feeling sorry for her but glad that she opened up her feelings to him. A memory came to him of the princess supporting him during his vulnerable moment after Ada died. "When was the last time you slept normally?"

"Don't know."

"Then I want you to try to sleep now. Even if you just rest you will feel better later on." he draped her bathrobe over her and drew the curtains down to shield her from the sun. A part of his mind wryly thought that if she caught the sunlight while she was pale like a vampire, she would burn up to a crisp.

"Fine." Emilia stretched out on her bed and before she knew it, she was sound asleep. After watching her for a long moment, Murdoch stretched out on her chaise lounge and took a little nap as well.

* * *

It wasn't long before Murdoch was startled awake by Emilia tossing and turning in her sleep, obviously having some bad dreams. The officer stood up in a hurry and went over to her side, attempting to comfort her but she would have none of it. Even in her dreams she was being contrary, so Murdoch sat down on the bed and embraced her, trying to prevent her from hurting herself. The officer had combat training in his past which had proved useful when he was sailing in clipper ships and the like. Now he would not hurt Emilia, but he didn't want her to accidentally hurt herself.

"Come on, Emilia," he soothed, hugging her and talking into her ear so she would wake up and know that it was him. "you'll be all right."  
Emilia did not wake up and that worried him more than anything else. He stroked her fair hair, wishing that he could ease her pain but when no idea was forthcoming, he simply stayed with her until she fell into a deeper more restful sleep.

Unbeknowst to Murdoch, Alphonse had been driven to the door of Emilia's room, also awakened by the sounds of his mistress's distress. He watched the scene through the ajar bedroom door and his eyes narrowed, not liking what was going on in the least.  
Gently drawing the door shut, Alphonse went back to his own room nearby and got into bed again, silently cursing out the officer that Emilia seemed so fond of.

Murdoch had looked up at the sound of the door clicking shut, then he brushed it off completely as he got up from the bed and went back to the chaise lounge he was sleeping on before. He was reminded of when he did this when Ada was sick, then a look of sorrow crossed his face. Emilia was too young to go through what he had been through already, and she didn't need the mystery of who killed her younger sister.

It was a hard life, he allowed in his mind. Emilia being so vivacious would naturally incite jealousy in her sibling. The two of them hadn't gotten along in a long time, so was Sarah envious enough to try to one up her sister in the marriage department? Emilia never had any suitors that he knew of, so maybe Sarah wasn't marrying for love but for status in society. Murdoch had never met Sarah so he wouldn't know anything about her but from what the family had told him.  
Trying to sleep now was futile, so he got up and went downstairs to the sitting room where he discovered Stephen was unable to sleep either.

The patriarch of the family was sitting on a couch facing the fire in the fireplace, looking older beyond his years. The grandfather clock in the corner chimed fifteen minutes past two AM as Murdoch sidled into the room, unaware if Stephen would want company or not.  
Stephen did not move for a long moment, then he seemed to become aware he was no longer alone. "Mr. Murdoch, please have a seat." he gestured grandly to the sofa or the armchair near him.

"Call me Will, sir." the family sure knew about luxury, he discovered as he sat in the chair. It wasn't lumpy anyplace and felt like it had been furnished just for him.

"Only if you call me Stephen in private," the prince chuckled dryly. "I do not like formality in private, Will. Come and sit down. I trust you couldn't sleep either?"

"No I could not. It's been a trying day to say the least." He leaned forward slightly and brought his hands together to face the warmth of the fire.

"Very much so," Stephen stood up abruptly and went to a cabinet near the piano. "can I offer you a brandy or a whiskey, Will?"

"Whiskey sounds good," Murdoch received his glass and took a sip. The alcohol burned a fiery path, searing his insides down to his shoes. "I needed that."

Stephen chuckled. "It's always been brandy for me. Anyway," he continued, capping the bottle and putting them away, shutting the cupboard door with a hollow thud. "I trust you are unsettled by the disturbing things that have happened to my family?"

"I do not wish to speak ill of your family, Stephen." was his guarded reply.

"I knew I liked you," Stephen put another log on the fire. "at any rate, I know of the animosity between my daughters and I always knew that Emilia was destined for great things. She has the fire and the drive to do many things in this life that she would be remembered for long after her death." not that Stephen liked to think of death in general, as he'd already lost one of his daughters. He looked older beyond his years in the firelight as he thought about his grieving and supporting his family. Evelyn had supported him through his vulnerable moments and he wanted his children to know what it was like to be married happily and for love.

Murdoch smiled. "I believe that wholeheartedly."

"Whereas my other daughter, Sarah..." the patriarch sat down and faced the fireplace, leaning forward like the fire could tell the future. He sighed heavily. "She did not have any drive or ambition, really. It was always like she didn't know what to do next. I know Sarah envied Emilia and the boys. They were always outspoken and sure of what to do with the rest of their lives. Their mother cottoned on to Sarah and corralled her into being a proper lady and all that entailed. Finishing school just seemed natural for her and she was always very good in school when she was growing up."

"Did she and Emilia ever have good times together when they were growing up?"

"Indeed they did. Over at our summer house in Kent which I believe you're familiar with, the four children would swim every day with their mother watching them. I was present often and helped teach my family how to swim. I remember once there was a boys versus girls water fight and because of Sarah's sneaky tactics they won. As they grew up they just drifted apart. It's natural in some families."

"It is indeed, Stephen. It happened in my family as well." although he maintained correspondence with his sister Peg, she kept him informed of family affairs. Murdoch's mother wrote monthly to keep him in the family loop as well.

"Ah yes, I have heard of your family legacy, Will. It's very impressive."

"Thank you, Stephen. If I may add that Emilia wrote to me awhile back and she expressed a concern that Sarah did not make a love match. It seemed more like a publicity stunt to try to raise up her own status."

Stephen didn't bat an eye. "I remember before the rehearsal dinner that night the two were arguing over the whole so called love match between them. Emilia said it sounded too much like a ploy to get press attention and Sarah didn't like that as you can imagine. They went round on it for some time and finally Emilia said that Tristan was trying to flirt with her which made Sarah mad."

"Was this the night before the murder?"

"Yes. I have given this as evidence to the police and they are in the process of establishing Tristan's whereabouts on that night. His alibi wasn't so airtight as they once thought, thankfully."

"I guess that's good to hear."

"It will take some time but things will get better." Stephen said confidently. "You have to be an optimist to get over the next hurdle life will throw at you." His life had a myriad of ups and downs. "For instance, when Emilia was born, she was very sick. We didn't think the Lord would let her stay with us but he did."

"Do you know what was wrong with her?"

"Something to do with her lungs. Her mother and I prayed every day. We're very grateful for her and every day she and her remaining siblings are with us."

"I hear you, Stephen." flashes of Titanic and the Olympic's collision with the HMS Hawke came to his mind. "If it wasn't for the Titanic disaster I never would have met Emilia."

"True! We must thank the Lord for all our blessings." Stephen gave him a smile. "The silver lining as one might say."

"Indeed." Murdoch yawned. "Beg your pardon."

The prince's warm laugh felt soothing to the tired out sailor. "Think you can sleep now, Will?"

"I'm going to try at least," he answered, standing up. "I thank you for the company, Stephen."

"Likewise, my good man." Stephen watched Murdoch ascend the stairs and disappear into the darkness as he drank the last of his brandy. "And I wouldn't mind having you as a son-in-law, Will." he added quietly to himself, amused slightly by the thought. To him, Emilia had picked out a perfect man for a suitor whether she knew it or not.

* * *

Over the next few days, Emilia gradually came back to herself and managed to pull herself back together to a degree. She was trying to keep herself from downright smothering Murdoch, though she wanted to be with him every second of every day. Her thoughts turned from Sarah's death to Murdoch being with her, though one afternoon she was besieged with a depression.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" the princess gloomily stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were sunken, her complexion was pale still, but she felt fine. "That damned man has infiltrated my senses and ever since Titanic he won't let go of my mind!"

"Miss?" Alphonse came into the room with a load of laundry. Emilia glanced over her shoulder at him and sighed.

"Come in, Alf."

"Might I ask what you were saying? I didn't catch all of it." he put her clothes away and stared at her, sliding the drawer shut carefully.

"I was just wondering why my head's so occupied with Will. I can't get him out of my mind even for a minute. I've been subconsciously worrying about his safety while he's been out at sea, even my dreams are filled with him." she plopped down on the chaise lounge where Murdoch had slept the night before. "Very odd."

"Might I suggest you are infatuated with him?" he asked boldly, wanting to know for sure how she felt towards him so he could be positive his suspicions were right all along.

Emilia didn't jump at him and curse him out like she would have normally. "Define infatuation really. Is it what I have been feeling?"  
"I would believe so, yes." the butler answered carefully. "At any rate, he's not good enough for you."

Her eyes immediately narrowed, an ominous warning sign. "Why would you think that?" her tone of voice was just one note shy of being sharp.

"You're of royal blood, miss. You were not suited to be the wife of a common sailor."

"Did I ask your opinion on that part?!" Emilia exploded. "It is not your decision to make marital arrangements, nor is it your place to remind me of my royalty. I decide who I want to marry and you have no say in it! Watch your tongue or I will fire you so you land back on the scummy streets where I found you!"

Alphonse backpedaled quickly, his eyes getting bigger. He had never seen Emilia so stirred up before. "I beg your pardon, miss I am only here to help you..."

"Not in that capacity you are not! I already have a mother on that front, so I'll thank you to keep your nose clean and out of my business!" she left the room and went looking for Murdoch, who had taken a horseback ride with Edward.

Unruffled, Alphonse squared his shoulders and continued on with his work. He'd been infatuated with Emilia since day 1, and was determined to marry her someday. Emilia had always been kind to him when he really needed it. Because he was a butler now, he had to maintain some professional distance from her, but he really enjoyed his job. At least until Murdoch had come in.  
Initially from the start he didn't like Murdoch. The sailor had an easygoing and carefree life aboard ships and by the way Emilia constantly talked about him, he had her heart too. Alphonse understood going to Murdoch because his wife died, but that made him more available to Emilia in ways that Alphonse hoped to be. The butler had a vision of himself and Emilia as a happy couple with their own house and a few children running about.

"Someday, Emilia," he muttered to himself as he went about his duties. "Someday."

* * *

"Oh, there you two are!" Emilia found her brother and Murdoch gossiping in the stables as they hung up the saddles and bridles. Her horse Roger whickered at her through his stall, asking for a scratch on the head. Edward laughed at his sister as she gave the horse a long scratch.

"You really do have a way with animals, Em." Edward teased. "They just flock to you."

"Oh, Eddie..." she didn't say anything, too pleased with the compliment.

"My dear sweet older sister," Edward pecked her on the cheek. "it's getting near suppertime now so don't stay out here too late."

"So what's on your mind?" she took Murdoch's arm and walked on the flagstoned pathway near the house. Edward went inside as Evelyn came back from tea with some of the neighbors, her long purple skirt trailing behind her a bit as Edward opened up the door for his mother who thanked him. The two of them went inside, the door thudding shut as Emilia faced Murdoch.

"Well, my butler had the gall to accuse me of being infatuated with you," she said carelessly. "he was bold as brass about it!"

"Are you though?" the sailor felt his heart speed up a bit as he looked her in the eye, suddenly hopeful of his feelings being reciprocated.

"I don't know!" she told him. "I've never been in love before and I don't know what's what. It is a whole completely different game than what I've been used to."

"But love's not a game," Murdoch knew what it was like and would never forget those powerful feelings which culminated in his marrying Ada. "if you can't stop thinking about them, if you worry obsessively about them, if you can't spend a moment of your life without them, then I think that's love."

Emilia stared at Murdoch for a long moment, assimilating all the facts. Yes she did miss him when he was gone, she worried about his safety out at sea after the Titanic disaster, he occupied her thoughts every single moment of every day, she had dreams about him, she was the happiest when he was with her. Her eyes lit up and she hugged him.

Amused, Murdoch had watched her thinking for a second, then her eyes did light up like a Christmas tree, then he knew he was right all along. He had the same feelings about her but he knew he was in love with her because he had been in love before. Rather than forcing his feelings onto her to see if they were reflected, he had opted to stay back and see if she came to terms with it on her own. It wouldn't do any good if she was forced to realize her feelings and dismiss them.

His laugh sounded in her ear gently. "I'm right I bet."

"Want it in writing?" her muffled voice responded. Murdoch laughed again and they resumed their walk towards the house. On the way, Emilia pulled him under a weeping willow tree, telling him that it was her favorite tree on the property. The sailor admired her in her light yellow sundress and the straw boater hat she was so fond of, pulling her closer to him.

"Just relax," he told her as he saw Emilia become hesitant. "let your heart take over."

Their first kiss happened just seconds after that. For once Emilia was the shy and nervous one as Murdoch took over being the commanding one. He gave her a little direction, as first kisses were not perfect, but the subsequent ones were more enjoyable. The officer enjoyed the attention, noticing that she smelled like roses and had a beautiful skin complexion. Emilia on the other hand loved his cologne, thought he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, and she loved his Scottish accent the most.

Thundering hooves nearby distracted them from their canoodling and Stephen was laughing as he dismounted his horse. The prince was wearing his riding outfit and taking off his hat as he saw Emilia blush and Murdoch tried hard not to.

"Well, I was wondering when this would happen!" he said in a jovial manner, handing over the horse to the groom. "I could sense it coming, you know. I've a knack for this sort of thing."

"Dad!"

"Now now, I don't mean any harm by it. I know I can trust you to keep this to yourselves." the couple grew similarly red in the cheeks only making Stephen laugh more. "Come now it's suppertime. The missus will be angry if we let it get cold."

"OK, Dad." they walked in together and sat down at the table. During the dinner, many topics of conversation had been brought up, but Stephen was tactful enough not to bring up Murdoch and Emilia's newfound relationship. Evelyn carried most of the conversations, calling on everyone to speak in turn to make sure nobody was left out.

Finally supper was ended and the two were dismissed to go upstairs. Murdoch closed the door behind her and looked at her with a gleam in his eye she didn't recognize.

"What's that look for?"

"I'll show you," he sat down next to her on the bed after drawing the curtains closed. "have you ever wondered what it was like to be intimate with a man?"

"Yes."

"You read slutty romance novels?" Ada had done that a few years ago and by accident Murdoch had picked one up and was disgusted by all the far too graphic descriptions of the sexual encounters, none of them real. He was a realistic man and Ada had been the dreamer.

"Nope," Emilia giggled. "nothing does it for me."

"Well, I'd like to see if I can change that." Murdoch helped her take her dress off, taking off his own coat and hat. "We need to stay somewhat decent in case of interruptions." He was glad that Emilia had no preconceived notions about what a sexual encounter would be like. She would have no expectations and therefore no pressure.

"All right, fine. What do I do?"

"First off I need to acquaint you with what is termed foreplay in this day and age," Murdoch necked her and did other things to her until he was sure that he had gotten her aroused. "now because we need to keep this semi decent, I will make you feel pleasure like you never felt before."

"How if you can't-"

"Shhh. I know many ways. Do you trust me?"

"With everything I've got." she took his hand and curled hers around it, a sign of her trust. The sailor smiled and kissed her knuckles, leaning down to meet her lips.

"Then I want you to close your eyes and keep them that way."

"What are you going to do?"

"You said you trusted me." Murdoch paused in what he was doing for a moment, his voice only had a tinge of hurt to it. Emilia had goose bumps on her flesh now, a bit cold, but with anticipation as well.

"I've never done anything like this before so I'm just-"

"I understand," his voice was full of understanding. "just relax. You'll learn eventually."

"I'll hold you to that, Will." Emilia lay back on the bed with her eyes closed like he had told her to, heaving a sigh. She was too used to being in charge and she knew it. Still to her mind it could be worse than Murdoch taking advantage of her, though he really wasn't taking advantage of her at all. She heard a rustling sound, then felt a cool breeze as she knew he flipped up her underskirt.

A cold feeling enveloped her senses and she gasped, wanting to get rid of it. "Just relax," Murdoch's voice came to her mind. "you can't enjoy it if you're all tense." reluctantly she did relax back after realizing that the sensation did not hurt her. The sensation gradually warmed up, then she began to get warmer as she sensed herself tightening up.

"Hope this doesn't hurt me." even though he was doing all the work, she was still breathless and could feel her heart racing.

"You might be a bit sore in the morning, but that's nothing to worry about."

Emilia tried to sit up to get more comfortable, but Murdoch put a hand on her midsection to keep her down. "If you try to move now it will hurt you. Stay still as much as possible."

"Fine then." she tried to sound dissatisfied but Murdoch knew better, if his deep chuckle meant anything at all. He stepped up the pace now, grinning to see Emilia responding to his actions like any red blooded female would. She gave an involuntary motion with her hips as he went deeper.

Just when it felt like she couldn't take any more of it, a shuddering feeling overcame her and she lay back, tired and panting.

"That was fun now, wasn't it? Open your eyes now." Emilia felt a slight pressure then nothing as she saw Murdoch leaning over her, smirking. "I'd say our experiment worked, didn't it? Don't you feel good?"

"What did you do to me?"

"Oh, you'll figure it out sooner or later," he teased, going over to the washstand and bringing her a drink. "here now."

Emilia did not drink it, rather she dumped it over her head to make Murdoch laugh. "Feels like I was bloody on fire!"

"You were."

"So what kind of information did you glean about me from that interlude?" pulling her skirts down, she sat up to watch Murdoch as he washed and dried his hands with the remaining water in the pitcher.

"That you're up for it when we can be completely alone." Getting on the bed with her, he trailed a hand down her curves, giving her a kiss. The princess reached up and let her hair down, fanning it out. The sailor unlaced her corset and slid it off of her, hanging it up as she got into her nightdress and hopped into bed.

"So do I stay in my own room or what?"

"You stay in here with me," Emilia sniggered. "use the lounge if it is comfortable for you."

"I agree. Some modesty is desirable when you're with your family."

"How long are you with me til?" the princess lay on her bed and Murdoch lay beside her.

"For 3 days. The Celtic will be done being restocked and coaled soon." he drew the sheet over them and loosened the bed curtains which surrounded them so nobody could see in. "What do you say to coming with me to my house for the next few days?"

"I'd be honored." she rolled over to look at him. "Bit of a risk, isn't it? You with me, a very recognizable figure."

"I'm willing to take it. Your father said to keep mum on it for awhile yet."

"All right. We can get away from Alphonse too. He's been creeping me out."

"Me too."

The butler had just been about to knock on Emilia's door when he heard the two of them talking and grew indignant. Getting away from him? He'd only done his job and told Emilia that Murdoch wasn't right for her! Alphonse scowled blackly as he stomped away from the door, going to his room to brood and sulk.

* * *

The next day, Emilia and Murdoch went off for his house in Southampton. Stephen had given them a knowing wink and waved goodbye along with her mother and brother. The family was a little miffed that Randal did not come back for his sister's funeral, but he had a lot of business to conclude in California before he would be able to come back.

"Just think now, Will. I can be with you for a few more days before you set sail again. Which ship is it now?" Emilia inquired as they reached the docks. The warm salty air filled her lungs and she yearned to be out at sea again where society did not factor into her life very much.

"The Oceanic, Lights's favorite. You could come with us." picking up their luggage, Murdoch stopped at the door, unlocked it and went inside. Emilia remembered the last time she was there, everything had been in disarray and Murdoch had been a grieving wreck.

"Well, I might just do that! I mean, the summer's not a very good time for royal engagements and such as everyone's on holiday. I'll go down to the office tomorrow and buy a ticket. Can I get a cabin next to yours?"

"We'll give you the one nearest to mine, the best suite we have. We can have some nights to ourselves and you'll be able to see Lights again."

"We've known each other a year now, how about that?" Emilia put her things away in Murdoch's room as he did the same. "I thought you were handsome from the very second that I met you."

"I thought you were the most unlike any other girl I ever met," he was reminded of Ada as soon as he stepped in the door and his face turned sorrowful for a moment. "being back here reminds me of her."

"Well then you haven't had time to make new memories of happier times yet," Emilia flippantly replied as she sat down on the bed. "now I believe I have figured out what you did to me last night and you tell me if I'm right or not."

"Aha! You did figure it out!" Murdoch exclaimed jubilantly after she told him. "How do you feel today besides that?"

"A bit sore like you said." she admitted. "It definitely hurts!"

"It will go away soon. So, did you want to go to the office and get a ticket now or wait?"

"I'll go now before it gets busy and sold out," Emilia winked. "I'll try to keep it under wraps it's me, the famous princess, but it can be hard to do."

"Hurry back so I can teach you some more things you never would have known otherwise." he blew her a kiss as she bustled out the door.

On the way to the White Star Line office, Emilia ducked into a shop and bought a big wide brimmed white hat and tilted it so that it partially hid her face from view. She also bought a pair of dark glasses and put them on as well. Now as incognito as she could go, she went to the office and bought a full round trip ticket for herself. Requesting the most luxurious suite she could brought her to the officer's quarters, right beside them like before on Titanic. Emilia forked over a hundred pounds for the ticket in cash, which astounded the young clerk. She grinned at her and thanked her well.

When Emilia returned, she found Murdoch had been lying in wait for her in the bedroom wearing nothing but his robe. She had to smile as she put her ticket in her purse, put the purse on the bureau, then went over to him with a kiss hello.

The sailor deepened the kiss by a lot, Emilia was nearly gasping for air as she stood with him, his hands snaking up to her shirt and getting underneath it. She giggled gleefully as she toyed with his mind for a moment, breaking the kiss and hopping onto the bed.

"Nobody's here to be ashamed of us because of our relationship!" teasingly she tugged on the front of Murdoch's robe, pulling him towards her. "So let's go for it!"

"Righto!" Emilia let herself go, getting Murdoch aroused in no time at all. She did exactly what he did to her and when he pinned her down on the bed, he said, "Let's make music together."

* * *

The couple slept for a few hours during that day, tired from their strenuous activities. When Emilia woke up, she had to remind herself she was in Murdoch's house now, with him, both of them naked in bed. She smiled and curled up next to Murdoch, who had a fresh looking face now, the worry lines were gone and he had some pink in his cheeks.

Murdoch put his arm around her, giving her a sleepy grin and a kiss on the forehead. Emilia could tell he'd been nervous about their first sexual liaison but she'd made him forget his fears as she took command. While it was true that he was reminded of Ada whenever he went into his own home, Emilia had helped him make a few new memories of the place.

"I never saw such a wild lady behind closed doors before." Emilia had been all over the place with him, teasing him, making him a very happy man overall. Murdoch still couldn't believe he'd been so lucky to befriend a princess in the first place never mind having sex with her. She giggled girlishly as he started to neck her all over again.

Over the next 2 days, Emilia and Murdoch spent most of it in bed, mostly getting their suppers done wearing their robes only. Often they would drop everything and lunge for each other like moths attracted to light. Murdoch couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy before. Emilia could not either which made it all the more sweet for them to be together.

When the day arrived to get on board the Oceanic, Murdoch retrieved the daily paper, all dressed in uniform before they boarded the ship. He opened up the front page and saw a headline: ROYAL PRINCESS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMONER.

"The hell is this?!" Murdoch scanned the article which mentioned Emilia but not him. "Emilia! Someone's leaked you to the press!"

"What?!" she snatched the paper, noticing the article was a fluff piece about her and Murdoch was not mentioned by name anywhere. "Who in the hell would do this to me?! Dad told me to keep it quiet and I did!"

"Regardless someone other than your father knows and there could be serious consequences for both of us." the sailor was calm as he stuffed the article into the stove. "It's sailing day so we need to get our things on board before the passengers come on."

"Aye aye, Will. My father would get to the bottom of this when we get back. He will sue for libel if he deems it necessary."

"Is that why you're so seldom mentioned in the papers?"

"Indeed it is," they picked up their suitcases. "Mom and Dad don't like it when papers print stuff that's untrue and they can really be vicious about it. I don't know if they think things will always be that way, but they want everything substantiated."

"But your father knows about us."

"Yes and he didn't leak it to the press," Emilia pinned on her big white hat which partially hid her face, fitting the elastic cord under the knot of hair on the back of her head so it wouldn't fall out. "Dad's private, always have been. He would not leak our private business to the press."

"Still, someone did," Murdoch grunted. "I bet Alphonse did it. That man has a streak of vindictiveness in his nature."

"Well, thank goodness we're traveling today so we can let his blow over until we return in two weeks, right?" they approached the gangway for the Oceanic, a familiar voice greeting them.

"Well hello there!" Lightoller beamed at them as he came over from the bridge. "Your highness, a pleasure!"

"Charles!" Emilia hugged and pecked him on the cheek. "It's been a year! How are you doing?"

"Oh, wonderful as always!" his outgoing nature and cheeky grin were exactly as she remembered. "You look different since I saw you last Christmastime!"

Murdoch shot Lightoller a nasty glare, knowing that his friend had picked up on the romantic feelings the sailor had towards Emilia awhile ago. Lightoller teased him, telling him to act on the feelings but Murdoch hadn't wanted to drive her away. Now the first officer of the Oceanic was a married man, he knew the signs of infatuation when he saw them. Murdoch drew himself up.

"I still outrank you, Lights. About your work."

"Just off shift!" Lightoller chirped happily. "You can't get me, Will."

"Aye," Murdoch sighed. "you're such a child, Lights."

"I regressed through my children. Come on, Em, let me show you to your room."

"Fine. I'll keep him in line, Will." Emilia winked.

"All right. I need to get the watch roster list settled." Murdoch went to the bridge as Lightoller offered Emilia his arm.

* * *

"Well, I thought you'd like this one," he brought her right to Murdoch's cabin. "if you want some privacy, it's ideal. Will comes and goes depending on his schedule so I hope you're a sound sleeper."

"That's what he said last night." the cabin was small but it was cozy, with a bed in the corner, a space for his trunk at the foot of the bed, a closet for his uniforms, and a writing desk nearby. The bed was all made up and Emilia thought they'd have a real time of it, two people sleeping in a bed big enough for only one person.

"Oho!" Lightoller mocked playfully. "Don't tell me he finally professed his love for you."

"Well, funny story about that." she told him how her butler had helped her to realize that she was in love with Murdoch. Lightoller was incredulous at the whole situation, wondering how she could have missed Murdoch's devotion to her, but chose not to say anything, remembering how young she was in the first place.

"What about my cabin?"

"Well," Lightoller presented her with her money. "I was near the building when you bought your ticket, so I arranged with Captain McDonald that you share Murdoch's room. If you still want the room you booked, you can have it."

"No, I just want to be where Will is." Emilia accepted the money back after insisting Lightoller take about twenty dollars. "Call it your commission." she joked, locking the rest of the money up in a safe.

"I'd be honored." Lightoller bowed low. "Hope I don't put out my back!"

"So, Will and I want absolute privacy on his off hours, we won't be too loud mind you."

"Loud?" the light went off in the first officer's head. "Oh! Well, you'll be having me on one side and our Mr. Boxhall on the other side of you. He knows you're here but hasn't had a chance to come and see you yet."

"I look forward to seeing him. Because of a piece written in the newspaper about me just today, I wish to remain unseen by society so I can really relax and be myself."

"That gossip article today? Sylvia pointed it out to me. She and I were furious someone dared leak this out so your trip is coincidentally beneficial to you."

"Absolutely." she agreed.

"This ship isn't as grand as the Olympic, but it has its perks."

"More security in terms of shipbuilding I hope."

"She's been retrofitted since the disaster," Lightoller answered as she sat on the bed. "a lot of the suggestions I made at the inquiries have been drafted into law now."

"I'm glad some good came of the whole thing." she sat down on the bed beside her suitcase and popped it open.

"Quite. I'm off for a nap so have fun on whatever you wind up doing." he kissed her hand goodbye and left the room.

When Emilia was done arranging things to her satisfaction, she hung up Murdoch's uniforms and exited the room, keen to get lunch before most of the passengers arrived. The ship wasn't as grand as the Titanic or as luxurious, but Emilia could live without those features. Luxury was nice but she didn't want to depend on them. Her father had told her many times not to take luxury for granted. There weren't any luxuries on their house in Kent, as when they vacationed there as a family her parents would make their children do responsible chores and even study their schoolwork.

So lost in her thoughts, Emilia turned a corner and didn't see a man turn the corner at the same time and crash into her. She nearly swore but accepted the helping hand up.

"I thought you looked familiar!" a voice boomed, a moderate reedy tenor she had heard before but couldn't quite place. Emilia stood up on her feet and gasped.

"Mr. Hockley?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5: Another Voyage

"Dear Emilia;

"Please do not go off again without informing us on where you are going. Mom got your wire about five minutes before the Oceanic set sail and she's happy you're going off with Murdoch to relax on the pleasure cruise. I know you'll be taking a round trip and please don't forget to post Randal a letter when you get to shore? We haven't seen him in a few years now.

"We know about the gossip article in the paper now and Dad is quite angry over it. I know that you and Murdoch have got something romantic going but I have not publicized it and I do know our parents would not do something like that either. Randal is obviously out of the question of course.

"On the Sarah front, we have established the fact that Tristan does not have a solid alibi for that night in question. Also there is conclusive proof that he had been drinking and he does have a volatile temper when he is inebriated. I think it is more than likely he's been ungentlemanly with you if memory serves me right. I saw how he acted towards you the night of the engagement party.

"Did you tell Sarah that her fiance was a complete ass towards you? I think she know, had it out with Tristan, and he got so mad in his drunken rage that he killed her. It's so likely it is ridiculous.  
"I believe that Dad will outline a plan of action for a libel suite in case the rumor hasn't been proved true. He's giving it 3 weeks, which should be good time for this to be resolved by the time that you return to us.

"Be safe on the journey, Em.

"Love your brother Edward."

* * *

"In the flesh, my dear," Cal gave her an arrogant grin. "tripping over your own two feet it seems."

"I haven't forgotten the way you used me as a hostage," Emilia eyed him sternly, actually making him shrink back some. "that was a cowardly thing to do and heaven help you if you try a stunt like that again."

Cal attempted to bluster but it was no good. The princess leveled him off with a glare indicating that unless he proved he'd changed from a year ago, she would have nothing to do with him. Glowering at her, he turned heel and walked off arrogantly, the lonely figure without Lovejoy his obedient pet, or Ruth, his intended in-law. Emilia knew that Rose had gone down with the ship with her true love(so the survivors gossiped).

The princess turned on her heel and walked on deck, admiring the view of the calm ocean and the pedestrians waving dockside as the ship was tugged out of the harbor. Holding onto her hat, Emilia tilted it down so she wasn't easily recognizable, waving with a grin out to the crowds on the docks. The noise was a cacophony of cheering, seagulls shrieking, and the tugboats' motors revving as the ship went into the bay. Emilia felt her heart get lighter with the motion of the ship and the cheerful dockside crowd baying out pleasantries and farewells.

Waves lapped at the dock and the sides of the hull of the ship, exhaust from the tugboats' funnels permeated the air along with the salty atmosphere, the sun beamed down like mother nature was giving her blessing for the ship to have a safe voyage. The Oceanic's engines engaged then, grinding into action with a faint jar and the little vibration came up through the decks so Emilia felt it in her shoes a little bit.

The Oceanic started out for the open ocean, her engines going full blast. Emilia felt a moment of deja vu as the ship went out of the bay area, seemingly racing some seagulls along the way. A sudden grip of fear enveloped her and she felt vulnerable and afraid. Not knowing why she felt so unsettled, she demurely walked into the cabin she now shared with Murdoch and sat down at the desk with her head in her hands.

Images assailed her now of the Titanic sinking. The bow going deeper into the water all the time, women and children screaming, men crying for their loved ones and all to prevalent was the atmosphere of complete panic and death, the band playing gallantly, the last time she saw Wilde. While she had been helping Murdoch with the collapsible, Emilia had seen Moody with a bad head injury and she wondered what had happened to him. The princess heard later that someone had a gun that fired off a wild shot and clipped Moody on the side of his head. It was a real shame, as she liked Moody a lot.  
A knock on the door startled her out of her musings. Boxhall had stopped by to say hello. He peered into the room and the smile faded off of his face as he saw Emilia looking shaken up. She was slightly pale and her hands were trembling as he stepped into the door and shut it behind him.

"Emilia, what is it?" he put a hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me."

"Joe, I'm being silly," she made an attempt at a smile but abandoned it. "I had flashes of the Titanic and I can't seem to shake it."

"That's all right. I would say that it is natural, wouldn't you?"

"Do you think?"

"There are several cases of this happening. I don't know what the doctors call it, but you do look stressed out. Do you want me to take you to the doctor?"

"I think that would be the best thing for me to do at the moment," she decided. "just to be on the safe side. Maybe something to calm me down a bit."

"All right. Come on." Boxhall guided her up with his rugged hands and opened up the door for her. Emilia meekly went with him over to the doctor's surgery and waited in line after the passengers seeking remedies to help their various ailments.

"Well then Miss Worthington," the doctor gestured for her to get up on the exam table. Clearly he had no knowledge of the royal bloodline and Emilia found it refreshing to be honest. Not having even this man fawn all over her because she was royalty made her happy. Boxhall met her eye and gave her a little grin, knowing what she was thinking. "what seems to be your trouble today?"

"I'm physically fine, sir. I was on Titanic last year and since boarding this ship I have been extremely nervous and experiencing flashbacks of the incident."

"Ah. I had a few of these cases already today." the doctor gave her a kind smile. "Well, I would advise that you go back to your stateroom and take a small amount of this medicine. It will help calm you down and put you to sleep if you feel very anxious or overwhelmed."

A small bottle of laudanum in a smoked brown bottle was withdrawn from the medicine cabinet, the doctor wrote instructions on the label in almost illegible handwriting, then handed it to her.

"All right. Thank you, doctor."

"You're very welcome, miss. I will check in on you tomorrow, all right? Which stateroom are you in?"

"She is partnering up with Mr. Murdoch, sir," Boxhall interjected. "there was a problem with the booking and we're working on sorting it out. In the meantime, Mr. Murdoch has offered her use of his own quarters."

"Ah! I always liked that Murdoch. I have family in Scotland and whenever I hear his accented voice, I think of home in the highlands." the doctor reminisced for a moment, full of nostalgia. Emilia had to smile, she loved Murdoch's accent as well and it often times she just enjoyed hearing him speak.

* * *

Back in the room, Emilia sat down on the bed with Boxhall as she took a small dose of laudanum. The officer watched Emilia closely, knowing that laudanum had been used ever since Napoleon's time, but he had heard stories about it's addicting properties. He kept up a conversation with Emilia until he saw the drug visibly take effect on the young woman.

"Working now is it?" he joked as she tried to keep her eyes open. Boxhall corked the bottle and set it aside on the bedstand as Emilia lay back on the bed and fell asleep.

Boxhall left the room and shut the door quietly, though it was unlikely that Emilia would wake up. Murdoch had assigned him the rounds, asking him to check in on Emilia and see if she was all right. The chief officer was on watch now and though Emilia could entertain herself, he felt a bit guilty for leaving her alone, but she knew that he had work to be done and watches to stand.

The navigator's steps sounded outside the bridge and came in as Murdoch came into the bridge from the chart room. "She's doing all right, sir," Boxhall quelled the question he knew he would be asked. "Emilia was having some nervous trouble, experiencing flashes of the Titanic disaster in her mind."

"Did you talk her down?"

"I took her to the doctor to see if he could help her. He gave her some laudanum for when the flashes got too intense to calm her down. I walked her back to the stateroom and she took a small dose, so she's sleeping now."

"It might be the best thing for her after all that's happened," Murdoch noted slowly. "poor thing went to pieces after her sister's death and experiencing these visions or whatever they are of the Titanic disaster is just too much for one person to bear."

"She has you, sir."

"Indeed. After my watch, I'll check up on her."

"Did you know Caledon Hockley is on this ship?"

"No. He tried to use Emilia as a hostage as the Titanic was sinking under us!" Murdoch indignantly sputtered. "I know she hasn't forgotten it."

"I don't think she would forget something like that. It showed Hockley's true colors and we know that he's a coward at heart."  
"Damn straight," Murdoch tilted his hat forward to avoid the sun coming into his eyes. "time will tell."

Just then Captain McDonald came onto the bridge. He was a stocky man, blonde hair but mostly all of it was gray now, a thick mustache, a weather beaten but kindly face that had gentle brown eyes. He nodded to his two officers on the bridge. "Gentlemen, I think we can go ahead full for now."

"Yes sir." Murdoch and Boxhall crossed to the telegraphs and set them, making a ringing sound as they yanked the levers back to the appropriate dial setting. Captain McDonald observed his officers as they worked, checking their behavior mentally to make sure they were absolutely professional.

"So, how is our royal doing?" he inquired to Murdoch. "I hope she's happy with her accomodations!"

"She is quite happy, sir," a half truth. "she is comfortable going incognito as it were, not wanting any special attention on the ship for her royal bloodline."

"I thought there was an ulterior motive," McDonald mused. "very well. If she wanted her bloodline and royalty noticed she would have gone on the Olympic. That ship caters very well to the entitled and nobility."

Also to the notorious folks as well, Murdoch thought but he didn't say it. Hockley was notorious only to him, Emilia and Boxhall and since Emilia was so fragile lately Murdoch had sharpened up his attentions to her, feeling more protective than usual. She was still grieving for her sister and it would take time before she felt anything like normal emotionally again.

"She's been on the Titanic with us, sir," Boxhall informed him. "she wants to go on smaller sized ships at least for the time being. The bigger ones make her nervous."

McDonald's eyes radiated his understanding. "Ah, that debacle! Yes I can see where she thinks smaller is definitely better. This ship underwent a retrofitting after that disaster and while I do not say she is unsinkable, I do say we are better prepared to face the perils that could lie ahead."

"Well said, captain." Murdoch liked Captain McDonald a lot. He never said anything unpleasant, was never rude, and was a very careful gentleman. McDonald was good friends with Charlie Barton, the superintendent of the White Star Line and while Murdoch hoped for a promotion to captain, he always felt that he would be happy to serve with McDonald for a long time yet. The captain had an easy charm and grace, his manner would put anyone at ease. Even the rich and super rich liked him very much.

"Thank you, Mr. Murdoch. About your work now." the captain left the bridge.

"Aye, sir," the sailor continued his watch which was uneventful. He reminisced for a moment about Emilia and the physical intimacy that they finally had begun to share. Murdoch had been shy about another relationship, not wanting to scare Emilia away, though Lightoller's goading him had driven him crazy. His friend had ascertained that Murdoch had feelings for Emilia very early on and began to tease him gently about it. Lightoller was not a man without tact, as it had been months after Ada's death that he discovered Murdoch's half finished letter to Emilia.

The letter had never been sent, Murdoch had read it, hated it, and burned it in the fireplace later on that night. It had all of his true feelings listed out quite casually, as he needed to get his emotions down on paper. Reading it over had made sense to him and even through his friend's sassing him, he understood clearly that he did have feelings for Emilia. Sometimes at night he would imagine her in bed with him, just lying there. He was happy at the thought but not sure that it would ever happen.

Now it had, as it took Alphonse of all people to realize that Emilia truly loved him and wanted to be with him. In a way Murdoch was actually grateful to the butler for his surly attitude and selfish nature. Alphonse had acted unusually possessive of Emilia and cold to Murdoch, so it was natural for him to surmise after awhile that the hired help was in love with Emilia and wanted her to love him.  
Emilia could not see Alphonse as anyone other than the hired help, which wasn't obvious at all to Alphonse but was obvious to everyone else. Funny how that happened sometimes, but Murdoch supposed that Alphonse was so blindly in love with Emilia that he was blind to her emotions and indifference towards him.

With the leaked news to the media that Emilia was involved with a "commoner", Murdoch knew Alphonse had leaked the story to the press as a way of revenge against the sailor and princess. Emilia had told him that she had made it very clear that Alphonse was just the help and nothing more than that. With her departure from England, she would be out of the gossip surrounding London and Southampton, and give her a well-deserved break.

With the watch changeover at 6 PM, Murdoch handed the shift to the second officer, a smart chap named Cyrus Linden, then went to his quarters.

Emilia was lying on the bed, motionless, sound asleep as she was when Boxhall had left her. Murdoch opened up the door softly and took a look at the princess. She hadn't changed out of her dress yet, her hat was lying on the desk, and her hair was askew, having unraveled the knot at the back of her head.

"Em?" the sailor asked in a low voice as he approached her. He spied the laudanum bottle at her bedside and put it in the nightstand, the little rattling of the lid startled her awake. She looked at him with a little gasp then sat up.

"How do you feel?"

"Calmer," she gathered her hair together and draped it over her left shoulder. "I needed that."

"Did you just start having visions of the disaster?"

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Just past 6. Come on, let's get some supper into you."

"OK then." she accepted his helping hand up and they walked out onto the deck.

It was suppertime for everyone so the decks were vacant. Murdoch led Emilia to the officer's quarters where they had their suppers quietly and without any formality. Emilia was very happy, as her family suppers always had a bit of formality about them even now. Evelyn expected her children to be well-mannered and not a day went by where she didn't ensure her offspring had perfect manners.  
"What do you want to do now? I'm not back on watch til 6 AM." there wasn't a lot of entertainment on board available for the officers, but Murdoch knew they could always go into the officer's reading room and play some games.

"I have an idea," Emilia found a deck of cards. "I'll teach you Rummy if you don't know it."

"OK."

The two of them played a full game of Rummy, Murdoch surpassing his teacher and winning the game by 575 points. Walking back to the room nothing much was said, they were about to go inside when Cal ambushed them near the crew passage.

"Mr. Hockley," Murdoch glared as Emilia clutched at his arm a little bit. Her face drained of color in the half light of deck lamps, but she controlled herself. "on your way to the smoking room?"

"I was just looking for the princess here," Cal tried to seize her arm but she resisted. "we've had unfinished business for the past year and we need to settle it now."

"Only business I have with you is my fist in your face!" she growled in a low voice. Cal merely raised an eyebrow and sniggered, encouraging Murdoch in his anger over the way Emilia had been treated in the past by him. He could still see the hostage situation like it had happened yesterday and only with a considerable amount of self control, he tugged Emilia's arm out of Cal's grasp.

"Calm down," Murdoch barked in his most authorative voice. "if you so much as lay a hand on her, Mr. Hockley, I will see you in irons for the rest of the voyage."

"That's right. You're her pet now aren't you?" the heir's face twisted into a leering smirk.

"Watch your tongue lest you want to spend the rest of the trip in detention cells."

"Don't forget Cal that I haven't said anything about your little act of cowardice on Titanic and one word from me will send the presses howling for your blood. They love my family and they loathe you. Can't imagine why." Emilia gave him a revolting and smug smile as she turned with Murdoch into the ship's superstructure.

The young Hockley turned red, frustrated at the princess and her lackey, their failure to take him seriously. Clenching his hands, he stalked off, knowing Emilia would face what she deserved.

Back in the safety of the bedroom, Emilia kissed Murdoch and right in front of him shamelessly stripped down to her underthings and put on a nightdress. He did likewise and soon they were curled up in bed together.

"He's just jealous you know," the sailor told the princess, twiddling with a strand of her hair around his fingers. "you have me and he has no one now."

"Even when he had that thug bodyguard with him, he was a nobody," Emilia wove her hair into a loose braid to keep it out of her way. "he's a big shot over in the USA which he loves, but he wants to be a big shot here in the UK too. People in the UK don't know his name or the steel firm he is an heir to and he wants that fame of everyone knowing who he is all over the globe. He thinks that by marrying me he'll finally gain that fame."

"I know you wouldn't marry him. He's a scoundrel."

"Indeed, Will. As long as I have you, I'm a very happy lady."

"Sure?" he lay down on his left side, looking up at Emilia as she lay down, tossing the braid over her shoulder. One might have considered his question impertinent, but in lieu of everything that had happened to her family recently, he thought it best to ask.

"Yes." she decided, kissing him on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams then." he returned it.

"And you."

* * *

"Dearest Emilia;

"Your father and I got your telegram message and we're happy that you decided to take a trip to clear your mind and get some time in with Will.

"Things have been quiet here at home since you left, though your father has people out searching for the leak who spilled the information about you and Will. Though Will is unnamed, it won't take much for people to put two and two together. I must admit that I find Will a very practical and entertaining men.

"It has come to our attention that a certain notorious person named Caledon Hockley might be on the ship with you. Darling, I want you to be on your alert around this man. People speak ill of him here and even your father's business contact in America have had nothing but horrible things to say about him. For instance, his former bodyguard who went down with Titanic was an ex con man whom Hockley hired upon receiving his probation sentence.

"Though Mr. Lovejoy (your father met him once; he was a reticent and scowling figure who did not have anything to say) is gone, Cal still remains. I hope you did not encounter him on your travels previously and you do not encounter him.

"Your brother Randal happened across Hockley when he was catching a train to Philadelphia en route to Sacramento. He reported to us through a letter that Hockley was terribly egotistic, simpering to people above his class and horrible to people who he regarded as inferior. When Randal met Hockley, he wrote of the revulsive nature of the man and the endless attempts to make Randal his friend. This man wants to be royalty and he will go to any lengths to achieve it.

"Be prudent, love. Your dad is suing the Southampton rag that published the story and it wil be successfully completed within days. He is also asking the publisher who leaked the story in the first place so he can take the man to court personally.

"Much love to you, stay safe.

"Lovingly, Mom."

* * *

Emilia yawned and stretched out, rolling onto her side to cuddle up with Murdoch before he was called on watch, but he was already gone. Momentarily she had forgotten that Murdoch had the 6 AM-10 AM watch morning and night, Emilia got up, tied on her robe, then grabbed a change of clothes, heading out to the bathroom.

When she was done, she went back into the bedroom, picked up her suitcase and picked out an ensemble for the day. Emilia selected a white skirt with a purple overskirt, it was cut so the white part showed just above the hemline. Her shirt was of pale purple with frilled edging at the end of the wrist, it buttoned loosely up the front with white lace sewn around the neckline. The princess picked up her hair and began to weave it into a braid, frowned, and mussed it back up.

"I'm going about this all wrong today," Emilia grumbled. She twisted her hair into a French knot, pinned it to the back of her head, then pinned her hat on. "much better!" applying makeup took a moment as she had the routine down to a science already, then tied on her shoes.

"Let's go have some fun." grabbing her leather gloves, Emilia opened up the door, surprised to come face to face with Lightoller's fist.

"Blimey, Charles!"

"Oops!" he colored slightly, lowering his fist. "Just wanted to check on you to see how you were doing."

"I surmised as much," she shut the door and locked it, sliding the key in her shirt pocket. "what do you want to do?"

"First off, I need some breakfast before I go to bed."

"Usually it's the other way around," Emilia joked as she took

Lightoller's arm and they walked down to the mess hall. "what shift were you on?"

"I've just come off the 3-6 shift and I'm bloody tired. Joe should be up and about shortly."

"Oh, OK." neither one said much during breakfast. Emilia insisted on walking Lightoller to his room and he was too tired to argue.

"Oh, Hockley's aboard this ship but from what Will told me last night you already know."

"Yes indeed. I just received a letter from my mother when we stopped in Queenstown last night for a few hours. She says the Hockleys are scum, Cal tried to get my brother Randal as a friend, but Randal didn't like him. Randal said Hockley was nasty to those he considered social unequals, a kiss up to people like me."

"Yikes," Lightoller unlocked his door. "so what do you think about him?"

"I think he's looking for a fight, Charles," she said mildly. "I don't like to use violence but if I have to make my point in that way, I will not hesitate to."

"I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Me too, but he's such a young hothead that I know his ill-mannered side will come out and that will degenerate into violence."

"Hmmm. May have a point there."

"I do. Also I do not want to go around the ship with one of you officers as a bodyguard. I can fend for myself." Emilia was determined to handle Cal without any interference.

"Let him go first if he tries anything," Lightoller advised. "that way you can justify it as an attack if he does start swinging at you."

"I would never throw the first punch," Emilia agreed. "he's got to be the one to start it. I'll just finish it."

Lightoller's smile lit up his tired face as he pecked her on the cheek. "Good."

"Thanks for breakfast, Charles. Sleep tight now."

"Thanks. Be safe."

"I will." he shut the door and the princess left the corridor.

Spending time with Boxhall that day was refreshing for Emilia, as he had a fond love of books like she did. He introduced her to his model ship building hobby and tried to teach her how to build one, but she did not have the patience to do so. She sat on his bed and thumbed through his book collection while he did some more assembling of the model for another hour.

"What do you think?" Boxhall held up the completed model of a small sailing ship. "Reminds me of the sailing ship I was on when I was a small boy. My father was a captain."

"You do a much better job than me, Joe."

"Well, I have to get ready for my watch now so I will see you later."

"OK." Emilia left the room and went down to the library to read for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Three days into the voyage, Emilia entered the boat deck from the crew passage, knowing that Hockley could not surprise her from places he was not allowed, and began to walk around the ship. The princess had on a light green skirt with a black shirt, and she was not wearing a hat that day as the winds were up. She had tied her hair back in a loose bun at the back of her head, a few ringlets of her hair had fallen down and were framing her face nicely.

Everyone was in for the night so the deck was hers. She slid her hand along the taffrail, feeling the cool and slick metal as it got sprayed gently by the ship's backwash. Her heels clacked dully on the hardwood floor as the whispering of the waves wafted up to her ears.

"You!" Hockley's voice cried out. Emilia sighed and turned around to see an irate Cal standing in front of her.

A sharp scent stabbed at her nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose. "Have you been drinking, Cal?"

"That's Mister Hockley to you!" he backhanded her across the face with such force that she stumbled.

"How dare you raise a hand to royalty." Emilia hissed in a deadly voice.

"You little spoiled brat!" Cal raised up his hand to hit her again, but she caught it in midair and kicked him in the shins, making him fall flat on his face. "You cost me my love!"

"How in the hell do you dope that one? I had nothing to do with her!"

Cal lapsed into a drunken shouting, none of it made any sense to Emilia at all. She dodged his attempts to hurt her until she stumbled over her own skirt, he grabbed her and hoisted her up against the wall. Trying to make herself remember the fight training her brothers had taught her, she brought her knees up to her chest and slammed him with her feet, causing both of them to fall. Emilia saw stars for a moment, then they cleared as the drunken heir came at her again.  
A penknife glinted in the light, blinding Emilia as Cal lunged at her. He drove himself forward in his drunken rage, trying to jam the blade into her shoulder, but she ducked aside at the last minute and he opened up a three inch cut on her upper left arm.

Shedding her dignity, Emilia put both of her hands up and punched Cal repeatedly in the face until he managed to gain the upper hand by slugging her in the gut and kicking her in the belly twice. Through a haze of redness, Emilia saw Cal raise up a small deck chair, obviously intending to crash it down over her head. She could only put up a hand in a feeble effort to stop him as the redness turned to darkness edging into her vision slowly.

"WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON HERE?!" a Scottish voice thundered, making Cal drop the chair in astonishment. "MR. HOCKLEY, STEP AWAY FROM HER AT ONCE!"

Stunned at Murdoch's commanding voice, Cal did so as the sailor rapidly strode to Emilia's side. One of her sleeves on her shirt was torn with a horizontal slash dug into her upper arm with a penknife that Cal had thrown aside. The cut was deep and Murdoch thought she would need stitches.

"Em?" she drew her glance over to him and before he could say anything else, she closed her eyes. Murdoch bellowed for his junior officer to come and arrest Cal, letting the officer know that he was tending to the victim of the attack.

Picking up Emilia from where she lay on the deck, Murdoch brought her to the ship's surgeon and put her down on the exam table. The doctor did not look very surprised to see Emilia was back under his care, but he was surprised to find that she had been wounded in an attack. He duly performed a physical exam, startled to see her ribcage had two black and blue bruises along one side.

"She has a slight concussion," the doctor diagnosed. "take her to bed Mr. Murdoch and keep an eye on her. I don't want her moving about for the rest of the day today. I will put stitches in and will come in tomorrow to check on them."

"Yes sir." Murdoch took Emilia to their room where he put her into bed, took her shoes off, and enlisted Lightoller to look after her for about half an hour while he went and gave his statement to the Master-at-Arms.

"I happened to find this swine," he started, glaring at Cal who was handcuffed and sitting in the corner, glaring at him. "attacking Miss Emilia W who was just standing there at the railing and minding her own business."

"The doctor's report?" Murdoch handed it over to the assistant who took it and paged through it.

"Slight concussion, gash on one arm, multiple contusions on the abdominal region... Yes, it's an attack all right." the Master-at-Arms decided, putting the paper in his folder.

"Mr. Hockley, one more incident like this and you will be in irons for the rest of the voyage. We cannot have you threatening people's welfare above and belowdecks. If I were you, I would be very wary of bad press. It would be bad for you if this got out now, wouldn't it?" Murdoch let his voice ooze venom so copiously even Cal couldn't fail to notice it. The heir just growled, still drunk, and tried to fight out of his cuffs.

Murdoch went and grabbed some ice from the kitchen, returning to find Lightoller sitting in the darkened room, dozing lightly. Emilia did not seem to have roused at all from her attack, so Murdoch sent his friend up to his own cabin to get some rest while he put a cold compress on the princess's head injury.

"I'm going to tell the captain before I turn in, Will." Lightoller peered around the corner of the ajar door, startling his friend.

"No, I have to do that. I will do it very soon. I just want to make sure she's all right." Lightoller watched the lines in his friend's face smooth out so he looked younger as he tended to Emilia gently. The first officer wished Emilia could see how kind and gentle Murdoch was to her, doubtless she would fall in love with him all over again.

After a long moment, Murdoch stood up and walked out to the captain's cabin while Lightoller retired for the night. Captain McDonald was just on the verge of going to bed himself, clad in his robe and pajamas when there was a sudden knock at his door. Shaking his head, he went over to the door and opened it up.

"Mr. Murdoch! What do I owe the honor?"

The chief officer appeared to him as very agitated and he seemed to be looking for the right words to be professional about what had happened, but he gave up on that altogether. His hands twitched like he was itching to get them around Hockley's neck as he bit his lip for a moment.

"Mr. Hockley, sir," he spoke in a clipped tone, rage evident. McDonald was shaken, as anything that could have worked up his normally calm and unflappable officer must have done something unspeakable. "that... animal attacked Emilia, sir."

"WHAT?!" McDonald barked out. "How dare he on my ship!"  
Murdoch outlined the story for him briefly, mentioning how he was attracted to the scuffling and sounds of fighting from the bridge. Also noteworthy was how Emilia had never even said a word during the fight. He thought it strange but wondered if she did not want to call attention to herself since she was royalty after all.

By the time he finished, the captain was as angry as Murdoch himself. "By god, sir. How dare a man think he could raise his hand to a woman aboard my ship! In Nelson's time if that kind of behavior happened he'd be flogged around the fleet!"

Discipline in that time had been extremely strict on navy vessels, all ruled by the Articles of War laid down by the king. The officer and captain both thought they'd like to see Hockley standing blindfolded in front of a firing squad if this had happened back in those times.  
"What do you think we shall do, Mr. Murdoch?"

"Me sir?"

"Yes, you! We can't make a public spectacle if Emilia wants to keep herself hidden out of the media light."

"Will all due respect, sir, Emilia needs to make the decision herself. Personally I wouldn't be adverse to having Hockley keel hauled."

McDonald snorted a laugh, imagining the look on Cal's face if he told him that was the punishment. "If this vessel had proper sailing masts, I'd like to see him tied to the yardarm for a few hours."

"Or a spell in the riggings."

"How is Miss Worthington, Mr. Murdoch? She all right?"

"Yes sir. The doctor took care of her and she's sleeping in my room right now."

"Oh, she's with you!" McDonald teased, taking delight in seeing his officer's cheeks flush red.

"Sir, please. My intentions are honorable."

McDonald bit back a smirk, thinking that Murdoch's actions might be a bit too honorable, but he did not say anything else. The captain dismissed Murdoch and made out the official report of the attack, noting that Emilia was incapacitated but would be ready to speak for herself when she was ready. Lord Pirrie from the White Star Line, the owner of the firm that built their ships, would certainly be scandalized that Hockley had acted to rashly.

Hockley and his entire family were not liked in Britain, as many thought they were too tempestuous, rash, impulsive, and far too quick to make money. It was widely believed that Cal had been the son of a prostitute, though there was no evidence on that front to be believed. The people of England didn't like his nature or his callousness and that was why the young man was so driven to establish himself as a well known heir and businessman in London.  
The captain imagined that Hockley had booked passage on the Titanic just to be near Emilia, but he remembered Emilia had booked her ticket at the very last minute. Either way it was mutually convenient for them to be on the same ship, then disaster struck. McDonald didn't know the whole story, but from what Murdoch and Lightoller had told him, Emilia took every chance she could to condescend to Hockley. She didn't go out of her way to do so, just whenever they were at dinner and she found herself with his clique, he would always pride himself on something his father did and that irritated Emilia. Lightoller had told him of a few instances where Emilia put Cal in his place and the captain's opinion of Emilia climbed higher into the stratosphere.

McDonald put the report into the folder with a heavy sigh and resumed going to bed, now more tired than ever.

* * *

Slowly the night passed and Murdoch got up to attend his early morning watch shift. He assembled himself in the mirror, more tired than when he'd gone to bed if that was even humanly possible. Putting on his hat made him think it took more effort than usual, but nevertheless he went on watch.

Coming back from watch after inspection parade with the captain, Murdoch nearly tripped over his own two feet coming down the crew passage. He hung up his hat, jacket, took off his shoes, and fell asleep back in bed.

Lightoller peered in on his way to his watch, smiling at the sight of Emilia and Murdoch together in bed. He had teased his friend that he would enter into a romance with the princess, and often times Murdoch would reply that it wasn't possible, or he'd blush slightly and not acknowledge his friend's jibe.

Emilia stirred awake, saw Murdoch asleep beside her, then spied Lightoller looking in on them. She smiled to her friend without a sound, leaned over Murdoch, kissing him on the cheek. Lightoller flashed her a thumbs-up, making her snigger.

The tired chief officer roused at the sound as Lightoller made a mock face at Emilia and closed the door. Murdoch opened his eyes as the door thumped shut, then his blue eyes settled on Emilia as she lay next to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad. I didn't expect to be out for so long. How much have I missed?"

"The captain and I went over your predicament and decided you choose the punishment that the arrogant young bastard gets."  
"My violent side would love it if he got a bullet between the eyes," Murdoch laughed. "the more restrained side of me would like him to be humiliated in front of people."

"I believe that would be ideal in these circumstances," the officer agreed, taking one of her hands and kissing it. "how do you feel?"  
She gave him an exasperated glance. "You mean how am I feeling apart from two minutes ago when you asked last time?"

"I didn't mean like that," Murdoch slyly kissed her neck. "how about now?"

"Oh," her eyes lit up and she got on top of him, grinning as he wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully. "well, how do you feel right now too?"

"Much better than a few minutes ago." their kissing went into heavy petting, then it escalated from there.

One hour later, both were lying side by side, Emilia in Murdoch's arms with their hand joined together, both were panting from their exertions when the door resounded with a loud knock. Both of them jumped up, Murdoch tossed Emilia her bathrobe, she hastily put it on as he put his own on, then opened up the door.

Lightoller and Captain McDonald were standing there, the former saw them looking a bit unkempt, shot a glance at his friend, then politely tried hard not to laugh. McDonald was perfectly sober as Emilia grabbed her hairbrush and started working the knots out of her long tresses.

"Mr. Murdoch here has brought to light the incident with you and Mr. Hockley last night," McDonald began. "we decided to see what you would like to do as a punishment."

"Out of ideas are you?" she jibed. "I have an idea of my own. I need to write it all down and submit it to the media once we arrive in New York."

"What is your idea?"

"Well Mr. Lightoller, Cal Hockley tried to use me as a hostage in the Titanic disaster a year ago. He plugged a pistol at my temples and demanded that he be given a seat or he would kill me. Now with this attack over his head, I will ruin his good character so he will learn that there are consequences for his actions."

"Were there any witnesses?"

"Yes. Mr. Murdoch here was a witness to the first one. I assume he saw something on the attack on me last night." Emilia turned to Murdoch who nodded.

McDonald grinned widely. "Fire on a man with both barrels! I like that, your highness." Hockley had been approached a few times to donate to the Seaman's Mission House, a place for sailors to go when they were inbetween ships. Hockley would repeatedly deny them, threaten them with legal action if they ever showed up again, so McDonald wasn't endeared to the young man one way or another.

"I just want Hockley to know just because he's rich, there are consequences for his actions regardless of social standing."

"Well put, your highness. We will be arriving in New York tomorrow so if you want to get a press release ready, we'll have a representative from the New York Herald ready to receive it."

"Right. I'll get on that one right away." Emilia crossed over to the desk, pulled out Murdoch's pen, and began to scratch away on one of the blank sheets of paper he kept handy. "He'll be sorry he ever crossed paths with me! Will he be kept in the detention area until we are docked?"

"Yes ma'am," McDonald assured her. "I will not have you threatened my dear."

"Thank you very much, Captain McDonald."

"It's my pleasure, your highness. Now if you please, Mr. Lightoller, back to work."

"Aye, sir."

No sooner had the captain and Lightoller left the room when Murdoch approached Emilia. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, he's a powerful man."

"My family's more powerful, Will. I won't drag you into his, I just want him to learn a lesson."

"You know, Emilia, you might as well name me as the witness," he boldly stated, causing her to drop her pen in surprise and stare at him. "it's about time we told everyone that I'm seeing you."

"Will, I'd have to clear it with my father first."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

"No, I just don't want to do something irrational. Dad's keeping it quiet because he doesn't want any scandal."

"Me seeing you is scandal?" he asked bluntly, all the while asking himself why he was being so bold that morning.

"Will, I don't know how to explain it really." she finished her missive and left the ink to dry, sitting on the bed with a huffy sigh. "Everyone always expects me to marry into nobility, like a prince of Monaco, Spain or what have you. It will be a disappointment to my relatives who are not as progressive or... lax with tradition like my father or even my mother."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Will, that if we announce our relationship, you should be prepared for a certain amount of scorn from people who will think you're not good enough for me like Alphonse. Others will applaud you certainly because you have my heart," she beamed up at him. "and you make me happy."

"So I will be liked and disliked at the same time?" he was thinking he could handle that as he sat down on the bed beside her.

"Pretty much. Some of your privacy will be gone as the press will scrutinize your records and bring anything negative about you into the spotlight."

"I think they've already done that with me when Titanic occurred." he admitted with a rueful laugh. "I assure you that I can handle whatever is thrown our way."

"All right. I will let them know. Dad will understand."

"Tonight's the last night on board ship before we come back. Why don't we make it special?"

"Oh!"

* * *

At dinner that night, Emilia was dressed in a dark gray sweeping opera gown with matching gloves, her traveling tiara set onto the curly mass that was her hair, amethyst earrings glittered from her ears with a matching collar necklace. The princess carried a light balsa wood fan with ostrich feathers painted onto the fabric and she was arm in arm with Murdoch. The chief officer wore his best uniform, his dress hat, and was impeccably well mannered.

"Well, your highness!" Lightoller stage-whispered, causing many people to turn. "What a pleasure it is to see you here tonight!"

"Why thank you, Mr. Lightoller." she allowed him to kiss her hand. "It has been a long time since I last saw you, whatever have you been doing?"

"Oh, I've been here and there," he winked. "and you're with my old friend Will Murdoch!"

The witty banter went on most of the night with Emilia and Murdoch with the other officers at the captain's table. Everyone told stories, treated Emilia like an equal, and much fun was had.

Upon retiring to the room for the night, Emilia and Murdoch kept their faces welded together at the mouth, devoured each other with all their energy and spent the night in celebration.

Press release written by Emilia Audrey Frances Worthington for the New York Herald:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"White I was on the RMS Titanic on the maiden voyage, I had the misfortune to meet one Caledon Hockley esquire of the Hockley steel conglomerate based out of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The man was, nice to people who were above him in wealth and station, and rude to those who were below him or what he considered inferior human beings.

"Cal tried numerous times to be nice to me, under the blatant misconception that he and I would be a suitable match-and he was traveling with his young fiancee at the time! The poor girl never looked happy except when she wasn't in Mr. Hockley's company.  
"While the Titanic was sinking, I was looked after very well by one a Mr. William Murdoch. We started a friendship and we still talk today. While Mr. Murdoch was helping me into a lifeboat and helping people, Cal Hockley came up behind me and put a gun to my head, taking me as a hostage, demanding to Mr. Murdoch that he get a seat in the lifeboat.

"We managed to thwart Mr. Hockley's misplaced sense of entitlement and got off of the ship all right and it was through Mr. Murdoch taking splendid care of me and the other passengers on the lifeboat that we lived to be rescued.

"Sadly that was not the end of Mr. Hockley's shenanigans. Recently while on the Oceanic, the young man decided to attack me on account of what had happened on Titanic's last night. Mr. Hockley was inebriated but that does not excuse what he did to me. I was not permitted to remain conscious through the whole attack, but through the timely intervention of Mr. Murdoch, I was saved from the drunken lout.

"Ladies, please steer clear of this man. He has given me a concussion which I still feel the effects of, cut my arm deeply, and has broken two of my ribs in his drunken rage. This man is not to be trusted.

"From her royal highness Emilia Audrey Frances Worthington, June 1913."

* * *

Disembarking the Oceanic in New York, Emilia had a faint memory of herself arriving in New York one year ago in a lobster trawler. She had been ill at the time of arrival and though the lobstermen had treated her kindly, she was still eager to go to the hospital and get looked at for her flu. Along with Boxhall, she had been hospitalized for almost two weeks.

Like he was reading her mind, Boxhall touched her on the shoulder as he walked up beside her, opening up the gangway door. "Nervous?"

"No." Emilia stated bluntly. "I think I'm quite glad that I'm not ill this time."

"Me too," Boxhall had been very well that past year as the seas had been kind to him after the Titanic disaster. "I haven't seen you since the launch party of your new jewel line there."

"I wrote you letters, Joe, but you're busy. Let me know when you have free time and maybe we'll have supper together."

"I would be delighted. Just fire that butler Will told me about so I don't get creeped out."

Emilia laughed. "He is creepy but we need evidence to fire him. Wait, I can fire him without any reason at all."

"Thank you, Joe!" Murdoch arrived in time to hear them talking about Alphonse. "Do you really need a butler now, Emilia? You're self sufficient."

"You're right. I don't mind fending for myself. Keeps me busy and out of trouble." Emilia liked to cook for herself and tend to the house chores. She didn't like washing clothes or dishes, but when they had to be done, she would do it.

"There you go. You're an independent woman and you need to seize the moment. You do a lot of that already but come on." Emilia wore her pastel red dress with white shirt and red peacoat, adjusted her red hat, took Murdoch's arm and descended the gangplank with him. Both were nervous about declaring the relationship to the public, but they were greeted with cheers and yells of goodwill.

Emilia's press release had made the morning edition. All of New York had read it and many were gossiping about the facts the princess had provided. Murdoch was a bit of a celebrity in Britain, having once averted a disaster at the helm of another ship. The couple switched on their smiles and waved until they reached the end of the pier where a towncar picked them up.

"I trust Mr. Hockley is being made aware of your article," Murdoch peeled off his gloves as it was too hot for them. He loosened up his collar as Lightoller slid in with a big grin. "I'm glad you let it all out there and really brought it to everyone's attention as to what a big jackass Cal is."

"Me too!" Lightoller chirped. "Cabbie, off to the Astoria!" the driver put the car in gear and chugged off across town to the hotel.

* * *

The day before arriving back on the Oceanic for the journey home, there was a knock on the suite door at 2 AM. Blinking sleep from his eyes, Murdoch knotted his robe, opening up the door with a tiny squeak from the doorknob.

Cal stood there, looking very unkempt and with a beer bottle in his hand. "You sir, have slandered my name!" he burbled drunkenly, wobbling back and forth.

"You did it to yourself, Mr. Hockley. If you don't mind, I need my rest and you need to make yourself scarce." he tried to close the door but Hockley barred the way.

"Do not close the door to me!" the heir bellowed loud enough for the whole hall to hear it.

"Do you realize what more scandal you're creating now?"

"Will?" Emilia's tired voice came into the room. She appeared in a white lace nightgown and her purple robe. Cal's eyes bugged out and he lurched into the room, stumbling against Murdoch in his haste.

"You cost me my good name!" instead of looking at Cal in anger, Emilia crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed at first but they got wider. She didn't think that Cal was the type of person to drink to excess. The Victorian age was very strict about alcohol, as Cal had to be moderate in his intake.

"Well, what have you got to say for yourself?!"

"Cal, sit down. Will, a word?" she grabbed Murdoch by the arm and brought him into the bedroom, keeping the lights off. Both of them spoke in hushed voices so they didn't disturb Lightoller, who was asleep in the corner.

"What? Should I call the police on him?"

Emilia sighed heavily. "Will, God help me, I want to help him,"

Murdoch's eyes bugged out but he waited to hear her reason. "he didn't drink to excess while Rose was around. As crazy as it may seem, he probably did love her or at least he thought that he did. My point is, I feel a bit remorseful after throwing him under the bus like I did."

"He used you as a hostage! He attacked you! He should be in prison!" Murdoch hissed angrily.

"No kidding. Cal needs to set things straight in his life. Drinking isn't one of them. He's turned into an alcoholic and I know people who can help him."

"You can help him, but I want no part of it." Murdoch went into the room and shut the door, disgruntled.

"Will..." Emilia gave up and went into the sitting room. Cal was taking a last swig from his beer bottle. He frowned, disappointed when there was no more, tossed the bottle aside, then looked up at Emilia with big puppydog eyes.

"Ever since Rose died..." he put his face in his hands, having reached the crying stage of drunkenness. Emilia felt pity for him, as he had nobody to hold him when he was in emotional pain, so edging forward, she gave him a pitying look, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Cal. I want you to let it all out." he grabbed Emilia in a crushing hug while he cried out his grief.

The princess comforted Cal until he finally sniffled and raised his head up to meet her gaze. There was a different look in his eyes now, Emilia could see it clearly. "Thank you." his stare was fresher, the haunted look was gone now, replaced with his customary arrogance but it was softer.

"Cal, I know you're hurting," she handed him her handkerchief. "it's all right to grieve but you know it isn't OK for you to hurt other people."

"Yes, I do know," he interrupted her bluntly. "it's just that I was so hoping to marry Rose when we arrived in Philadelphia and she dies on the way over! You don't know the whole story like I do..." Cal began to tell her all about his voyage and a chap named Jack Dawson.

Finally he wound himself down with talking and had to fight his eyelids to keep them open. Emilia let him stay on the couch while he slept off the effects of the drink, going back to bed as well. She couldn't sleep then, thoughts flying around in her head with no way out. Finally she got up and wrote a letter:

"Dear Mom;

"Undoubtedly you know by now that I wrote a little expose or gossip piece or whatever you want to call it on Cal Hockley as revenge for what he has done to me in the past. You know he tried to take me hostage in order to get a seat on the lifeboat in Titanic when she was sinking, but he managed to attack me this past voyage on the Oceanic, drunk as a pig.

"Now we're in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Remember when we came here on a trip to New York when I was about ten? The place hasn't changed very much, still very spacious and the staff are so polite and accomodating.

"Mom, we hadn't been in here 4 hours when Hockley himself showed up at the door at around 2 AM, drunk again and wanting to curse me out for ruining his good name. Honestly I think he still deserves it, people need to be aware of what he is capable of if they choose his company. Anyone can be capable of anything if the mood is on them. You and Dad taught me well.

"Perhaps maybe a bit too well, I think. When I saw what a drunken wreck Cal had become, I felt pity. He had reached the emotional stage of drunkenness so I actually gave him a shoulder to cry on. I think of it this way, Mom, he went through a disaster, he had to be strong for his fiancee's mother, and after that he was alone for a long time. He grieved for his fiancee, I don't know what became of the mother-in-law, but he needed someone to talk to. His bodyguard went down with the ship, not that the ex con was much of a person to talk to anyway. I think that Cal finally realized that he is not above his own emotions, does that make sense?

"Anyway, he needs help and I know Dad has a few people in New York who might be able to help him out. I plan to offer Cal some assistance to get back on his feet and that's it. I do feel bad that I let the cat out of the bag on him so this is my way of making amends.  
"Does anything I say in this letter make sense? If not, I'm tired and will write a better and more comprehensive one tomorrow. All these thoughts were in my head so I wrote them out to try to clear it. I know Cal isn't one of our family's favorite people, but with a little help, maybe someday we will find him tolerable.

"I think tonight was the first time Cal actually admitted that he was human, albeit in a drunken haze. He might turn his behavior around someday and be tolerable.

"Much love, Emilia."

* * *

Lightoller woke up first the following morning, unaware of the visitor in the middle of the night. He cleaned up and was on his way back from the bathroom when he saw Cal's form lying on the couch, sleeping. Narrowing his eyes at the obnoxious heir, the officer went into the bedroom where Emilia was sleeping at the desk, a pen still in her hand, her head pillowed on her arms.

"Emilia," he put his hands on her shoulders and spoke her name quietly. "Come on now." she jumped up.

"Oh, I was writing a letter to my mother because I couldn't sleep last night..." the princess trailed off, smoothing down her nightshirt.

"Would it be anything to do with the Hockley lad on the couch out there?" his voice was even and nonjudgmental. Emilia relaxed under his gaze.

"Yes, Charles. God help me, I felt sorry for the poor sot. I went too far."

"I was wondering if you'd feel this way," Lightoller sat down in another chair. "you're human, you know when you went too far. I think that's why Cal is here too."

"You think?"

"I know. Alcohol makes men more vulnerable to their emotions. You get the emotional stage when you're drunk which makes you act out ridiculous things like beating up another person. Some are violent drunks, some are fun drunks. Cal knows he went too far, he's here to apologize to you in his inebriated state because he's arrogant when he's sober, he can't admit to making a mistake because that's admitting he's wrong. A lot of people can't do it."

"To an extent me."

Lightoller chuckled. "You can admit that when you're sober. Cal can't. He needs some humility."

"He does. Right now, if he needs someone to talk to, I can be it. When does the Oceanic set sail again?"

"Tonight at 6. The crew cabins had to be inspected so that's why we're here in a hotel." there was a bimonthly inspection of all the cabins to check and make sure mice and rats hadn't holed themselves up somewhere nearby.

"OK. I'll talk to him." Emilia ordered breakfast to be brought to them, woke Cal up, then began to talk.

* * *

That night as the Oceanic went away from New York, Emilia was standing on the bridge with Captain McDonald and Lightoller. Murdoch came into the bridge them, fixing his cuffs and adjusting his hat.

"I've been thinking," Murdoch began. "you were right, Emilia. How did it end up with Hockley?"

Lightoller had filled McDonald in earlier about what had happened. The captain nodded sagely as Emilia told Murdoch that she had gotten Cal to face the fact that he needed help. She couldn't personally help him, but she knew people who would be able to do so. Cal accepted her help with remarkable humility and vowed that he would become a better person through intense work.

"You extended an olive branch, Emilia. You don't have it in you to be really mean." Lightoller grinned confidently at his friend.

"He was humble enough to recognize the fact that he needed help, you gave it to him. I could be wrong, but I think you just became friends with Hockley." McDonald teased.

"Gentlemen, only time will tell."

"Dear Emilia;

"It's been several months since I've last seen you and I miss you very much. I think you know by now that Britain has declared war. All the White Star Line ships have been requisitioned by the government and are being retrofitted as hospital ships, auxiliary cruisers, and though some of them remain in civilian service.

"The navy needs dedicated men, so Lights and I have been plucked from the merchant marine to the Royal Navy. Lightoller and I already did our obligatory stint to become RNRs. Neither one of us like the navy with all its pomp and circumstance, unnecessary formality and whatnot. The discipline is strict and rigid, another double edged sword if you get my meaning.

"Lights is off commanding a torpedo boat or a destroyer, I can't remember which. I'm off on destroyer duty very soon. I thought I'd drop you a line and tell you to stay with your family where you can be protected. Is your father going to transplant you to America where there is no war?

"Must close for now as I have a duty roster to line up.

"Lovingly, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"Yes, my dad is transferring us to Canada where we will stay until the war's over. He doesn't like uprooting us from the English countryside we grew up in, but he won't have us within distance of air strikes, bombings, anything violent.

"Edward was making noise about entering the navy, but my parents, united (strangely) as it was with me on that one, saying that Eddie was an artist, a musician, and he did not have any experience in the navy or anything like that. Dad said I'd be better qualified!

"We leave England tomorrow and if you can make it any time, come and see us. The forwarding address is listed at the bottom. We're in Halifax, right on the coast.

"Cal is doing well with treatment, I'm a bit surprised. I think he'll be turning over a new leaf soon. He actually sent me a letter and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact it was devoid of any arrogance and condescension. The staff at the center I left him at have told me he's making rapid progress and will be able to be discharged quite soon.

"Time to go, still have a lot of the house to pack up. I pray this war ends quickly so we can come home.

"Lots of love, Emilia.

"PS news on the Alphonse front coming soon."

-so who's ready for me? Thank u for reviewing! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6: Danger

A/N: Because the couple are separated, we're basically fast forwarding through the war to peacetime where things get interesting.

*Question I've been wrestling with: Should Murdoch and Emilia have a family? Can't decide, so you all decide for me!

"Dear Emilia;

"Can you write me from where you are in Canada? To be clear, are you in hiding or is it OK to be casual? I don't want to cause you and your family harm. It is a time of war after all.

"Likewise I can't reveal too much to you anyway of what's going on with my command. I have about 80 men under me and after about 3 months of basic naval discipline, Lightoller and I mutually decided to do away with the naval discipline on board our own ships. We are operating under his Royal Highness, so with basic courtesy and work ethics we are all fine. A lot of the our former merchant marine men don't like the strict formality of it all which does endear them to us a little more.

"So how are things going on with you and your family? I'm doing all right and there's mention soon of Lightoller and me going on Dover patrol sometime in the future. Imagine that, eh? Lights will have to uproot his family in order to serve his time, but Sylvia won't mind. She's very supportive and encouraging in his career, just another wonderful quality about her. I've got a few an old friend that I trained previously on board the Oceanic, a mister Jack Clyde if you remember.  
"It was great to have another person on board who really knows me and my style of command. He's my second lieutenant.

"I'll write you when I have some stories to tell, hopefully soon!

"Lovingly, Will."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"My family and I are holed up in Halifax near the coast in a sleepy little town that I forget the name of just now. Funny how that happens.

"The locals don't know that we are gentry despite us being there before. The British government advised us to adopt aliases just in case that our enemies decide to raid houses of gentry, etc, in order to try to gain the political upper hand.

"It's known now that we are a couple, Will, so it would be advisable to address me as Felicity Highgarden. I picked out the name myself and it's very advantageous to be a commoner in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the pomp and circumstance, I've been out horseback riding along trails by myself, gone swimming, done market shopping and all that. I feel quite liberated, really.

"Dad still is on the hunt for the leak who spilled the beans on our relationship. I told him of my suspicions of Alphonse and though he agrees with me, we need to catch him out in a lie in order to get any kind of proof of it. Being that we are in a war, personal revenge will need to wait. Alphonse is still my butler, though he's known here as Gerry, the family servant. Because of the war, most of the servants went to enlist and the ladies went to their families on the home front of the war.

"All investigations into the murderer of my sister have been null and void. It's very depressing and I do despair that we will never find the bastard.

"Well, I'm off. One of the locals has an apple orchard in bearing right now and he asked us if we'd like to help him pick.

"Much love, Felicity (Em)."

* * *

"Dear Felicity;

"Much thanks for your letter, though I received it almost 3 months ago, making it a total of 6 months we've been in the war. Correspondence is damnably slow in these times as I'm sure that you already know.

"Clyde has come more and more into his own. We were involved with taking a U boat recently and he manned the guns and helped to command the men very well. I was impressed, him standing around and bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"My men are very good to me, they took a little warming up to at first. I think that they regarded me as a pompous ass who was a snob at heart. Clyde bragged about me to the other men, but words are words. After we helped take down the U boat, a few of my men were hurt in the encounter. After a day or two of their recoveries down in surgery, I came down to see how they were.

"You should have seen their faces. I gather their former commanding officer or CO wasn't a kind person and given the fact that I was on Titanic which only a few knew about, they weren't very keen to be on my ship. I can imagine their reticence, though the disaster was purely an accident. My visit to the wounded boosted up the morale of the wounded men and helped improve the general atmosphere of the ship too. Clyde accompanied me, we coaxed a little well intentioned humor towards them, now I've heard the ship's company are talking positive things about me.

"It does a lot to the men to show some humanity and care about them in general. Lightoller has written to me of the same thing in general and he begs me to remember him to you so I'll write that in now before I forget.

"Duty calls, love.

"Lovingly, Will."

* * *

"Dear E-I mean Felicity!

"Charles here. I'm currently in the naval hospital for a severe attack of the measles. I've been in here for over a week and I'm going stir crazy! Must be a sign that I'm getting well, says Sylvia.

"Did you hear about the Oceanic? The best ship the White Star Line ever had bungled up by the Royal Navy. I know Will has told you about all the needless pomposity and general idiocy that makes up our fighting forces, but really!

"There were two captains on board, a merchant mariner and a captain from the navy. They both butted heads about where the ship was going, they would argue about courses and after awhile, they managed to settle on something resembling a schedule-the navy captain would captain at night while our (true merchant marine captain) would captain the ship during the day. Why the navy decided to butt in with us I have pondered over many times with my old friend Davy Blair but neither of us could come to a conclusion. Thinking about it now, I decided it was the admiralty being paranoid, not trusting us merchant mariners.

"It makes scary sense as you once so eloquently put it. So what happened was that the frequent arguing on our navigation (which was charted by Blair who is brilliant at it-almost to Boxhall standards), and we thought the ship was well away from the notorious Shaalds. The Shaalds jut up like teeth and they've been responsible for many a shipwreck.

"So to make it short, I was asleep at the time of the collision with the rocks, got up, and I ended up supervising another ship evacuation.  
"It was some time after that, I don't remember exactly when, that I came down sick. I've been in the hospital for 8 days, the doctors keep giving me their assorted drugs in order to bring my fever down and I feel miserable.

"So, spare a sick man a line or two, will you? I'll heal faster after I hear from you, old friend.

"The ill CH Lightoller."

* * *

"Dear Charles;

"Something must be going around in the air, my old pal. When I got your letter last week, I was suffering from a bad attack of laryngitis and had a mild fever. Alphonse is still my butler, but he's known as Gerry over here. For the sake of possible confusion, I will still refer to him as Alphonse.

"Like I told Will, the revenge on Alphonse will have to wait until the war's over. Will is convinced now that Alphonse is a crazy psycho and I just don't see it. Perhaps I'm too complacent in my situation right now, and I wouldn't be comfortable firing Alphonse unless Will is around to protect me. I've been really indifferent on the whole subject and it might be a bit of a stretch, but do you think it's possible that Alphonse has something to do with my sister's death?

"While I was sick, I had a mild fever and the mind plays games on one when they are ill. Yesterday was when my fever reached its peak and I wound up sleeping almost all day. The fever played games with my head and I dreamt that Alphonse had a hand in my sister's death.  
"The thought really distressed me, Charles. I woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and the dream was still in my memory. My fever broke, but my emotions were all over the place. I'm not one really given to flights of fancy, Charles, but maybe a I had that dream for a reason? Anyway, I had an outbreak of weeping afterwards.

"I wish you well, Charles. Get discharged soon and stop driving the doctors crazy. Their only aim is to help you get well and get back to your regular life. Hurry up and get well! Those U-boats are not going to blow themselves up!

"Fondly, Felicity."

* * *

**ARTICLE CLIPPING FROM THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE**

"German U-boat 370 was sunk two days ago off the coast of England. Two destroyers, the Piper and the Cadet ambushed the U boat in patchy fog. Captain Edgar Massie and Captain William Murdoch, of the Cadet and Piper, saw the U boat and opened fire, hits striking the submarine broadside. The U boat was able to manage to fire on Captain Murdoch's vessel the Piper, hitting a bit of the railing and injuring two sailors.

"The Piper was repaired at sea and is working better than ever, according to Captain Murdoch. The two men are duly recovering from their wounds and will be back on active duty within the week."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"Dad told me of the assistance you rendered to Captain Massie of the Cadet recently in an article that our relations sent to us. I'm really proud of you! Do you get a commendation in your records or any kind of accolade? I'd send you an accolade but our wealth and possessions are shall we say elsewhere at this time.

"I'm doing well, and I'm learning some more about my interests. To Mom's surprise, I started taking a cooking class twice a week and through my parents' advice to make the best of the situation. I also began French lessons, as the majority of the people here are French speakers and of French ancestry.

"Well, we had a quiet family Christmas and I made the presents that I gave. I do admit that I find it interesting to do so, fashioning a beautiful emerald green scarf for Mom, a pair of gloves for Dad, and I made Edward a sapphire blue ascot that brought out his eyes when he wore it. He was really pleased and I was pleased to make something and give it to him. We usually buy things and give them which are appreciated mind you, but there's real pleasure of making said object.

"I would send you a Christmas present Will, but Dad said packages from the civilians had to be screened by the government agents first. I don't know if he was pulling my leg or not, but if someone found out you were writing to me, bad things could happen. Best to err on the side of caution.

"You can speak about me, but call me Felicity. How is your other officer that you trained? Have you had any contact with Burroughs?  
"It's freezing outside! I hope 1914 brings an end to this war! I'd love to see you again.

"Much love, Felicity."

* * *

**ARTICLE CLIPPING FROM THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE MAY 8TH, 1915**

"The Cunard liner the Lusitania was approaching the Old Head of Kinsale yesterday morning when a U boat sighted and torpedoed her. According to eyewitness reports, there was a massive secondary explosion in her hull and she sank in less than 20 minutes or so.  
"Lists of survivors are currently being compiled and will be available for the general public by daybreak tomorrow. So far an eyewitness report says that multimillionaire Alfred Vanderbilt did not survive the disaster.

"Captain Turner is among the saved and he will be available for comment once he recovers from his cold. We will keep you informed of all the major developments.

"The Southampton Gazette wishes to extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the disaster."

* * *

"Dear Felicity;

"November is nearing and my sanity is nearing its end as well. This war has lasted about 4 years now, Lightoller and I are quite tired of battering around the Dover coast when there hasn't been any action for awhile now. Both of us want to be doing more useful things like commanding more destroyers rather than lowly torpedo boats.

"Lights was involved in a U boat sinking and his men were pelting the survivors in the water with debris shouting things that had to do with the Lusitania, etc. I thought it was in bad form really, but Lights just shrugged at me when he told me and said he couldn't control his men's feelings. Sometimes I wonder if we're just as bad as our enemies or even more so.

"At any rate, my men are all well-behaved and I permitted them to have a day off from their duties, allowing them to play their instruments, have games, that sort of thing. I saw who could dance the best, sing the best, all of that. It was instrumental for their spirits, I saw many crack smiles today who have not done so for a long time now. I admit that I wondered if many of my men had forgotten to smile!

"Clyde really stepped up to the rank of commander after I got hurt in the crossfire. Don't start fussing now as it was a month ago! It was stupid really, I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was near where they were cleaning the guns, I slipped on the decking they were polishing, and whacked my head on it.

"When I roused, I found the doctor and Clyde staring at me. They reassured me that my injury was superficial and I would be up and about in two days' time. Even so, from my bed in the recovery room of the surgery, I can hear Clyde commanding in a very admirable way. I hope I have been a good influence upon him both in war and peacetime. He's very clever and has a rapport with the men like I have. I will recommend him for a promotion very soon.

"I'm fine, so don't start worrying! I know you too well. How are you, dear?

"Lovingly, Will."

* * *

"Dear WIll;

"We're on our way home! I'm more than ready to leave this small town behind and get back to my royal duties and whatnot. My idleness these past 4 years have been almost unbearable. I've learned French and Spanish, I dabbled in German but my father almost threw a fit when he found out.

"I've learned the humble domestic arts, red scores of books, learned needlework, knitting, and I experimented with my own fashions. What would the Duff Gordons think?

"The times have been a bit rough for us, Will. I've had to close out my Solara jewelry line as the metal is in short supply and I need that to mount the pieces. The war has dictated to us that we need to keep a tighter hold on our money and Solara was really for the rich types. The rich types aren't so rich anymore and the ones that remember me and my jewels are more interested in other things now. I think the upperclass jewelry status symbol has gone down considerably now.  
"Diamonds have really gone up, though. Everyone here in Canada likes the diamond engagement rings and given that some of the diamonds in the mines are very small, I think I can develop my own line of diamond rings. Affordable mind you, according to the grade of the gem.

"I am a bit sad to leave Halifax behind. It's been so good to us. I'll be home on December 15th if you'd like to stop by.

"All my love, Emilia. (not Felicity anymore!)"

* * *

"Dear Emilia;

"I'm docking my little torpedo boat on December 16th and as far as I'm concerned, my house is open to you. I've had a housekeeper occupying my house for these past 4 years while we've been away, and I'd be happy to have you live with me if you want.

"The only condition is that you fire that godawful butler Alphonse. I'm certain he is keen on you but not for the right reasons. I remember what you said years ago, how you're sure that you can incriminate Alphonse into admitting that he was responsible for the leak to the press about us. I wouldn't put it past him to have a hand in your sister's murder as well.

"My theory is that he couldn't stand the fact that you were not the only princess in the household, conspired with Tristan, managed to get Tristan to kill Sarah so your competition would be eliminated. Then in the aftermath of the death, Alphonse would profess his love for you when you were at your weakest, you would submit to him, then you two would get married-despite the fact that I am seeing you, and despite the fact that gentry and royalty are not accustomed to marrying the help. I bet we could get him to incriminate himself. There's a spare bedroom on the second floor of my house where he can bunk down, so bring him with you and we'll conspire to end this once and for all.

"So what do you think? My theory too farfetched or scarily accurate?

Time will tell.

"Love Will."

* * *

Emilia walked up the pathway to her family's house in outer Southampton. Alphonse was already cleaning up the place to make it liveable again. Her brother Edward was out at the Kent estate while he reviewed his finances and planned out his next venture.

The princess knew that Edward was spearheading a fund to help victims of the war. She would have contributed, but Edward modestly told her that he wanted to take the reins alone. Truth was that Edward had been a bit jealous of Emilia's ventures and her publicity, so he wanted to do something public so he could have his time in the limelight.

It was now mid December and Emilia was taking care of the gardens, shoveling dead leaves to cover the old dead flowers. Her mother had introduced her to gardening and though Emilia had no great love for the hobby, she still continued to do her mother's routine of covering up the flowerbeds every fall.

It was a typical early winter day with the sky a frosty blue with a little bit of sun peeking out, the grounds were quiet as all the birds had migrated south already. Emilia sneezed, pulling out her handkerchief and wiping at her nose. The mold on the fallen leaves never failed to agitate Emilia's nose, making her sniffle a lot until the frost fell.

Emilia's eyes were dry, so she had to blink tears into them in order to keep her eyes tolerable.

"Of course Mom had to be in Prague with Dad so she couldn't do any of this!" Emilia groused, standing up and arching her back. "Least I'm done."

A pair of hands latched themselves around her eyes, blocking off her vision, she swore and turned around. "Will!" Emilia dived into his arms and kissed him deeply, happy to see that he had not changed in the least since she saw him last. He kissed her back, snaking his hands around to her waist so he picked her up.

"Such a pleasure to be with you again."

"Drop the formality, Will," Emilia giggled, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. "I've missed you so much and all I dreamed about was you, me, my bedroom."

He cleared his throat as he brought her into the living room, putting her down on the couch. "What do you think we should do now?" his hand trailed up her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze as she put her hand on top of his. She raised her eyebrow suggestively, giving him a playful wink as she slid her hand just underneath his trousers.

"How about we go upstairs so we can be comfortable?" the sailor suggested, not liking the idea of doing something very private in a public space. "If we can make it that far." he added, glancing up to make sure Alphonse had not come in.

"I love a challenge!" Emilia leaped up and stood by the banister, Murdoch followed her and kissed her roughly, sliding his hand up the side of her dress as she clutched at his back, raising up a leg slightly. Murdoch gripped her leg and held it up in his strong hand.

Neither one of them had their eyes open at that point, or they would have seen Alphonse with an intense stare of disapproval. The glare intensified as Murdoch brought his free hand up to bring Emilia's face closer to his. She parted her lips to breathe, then uttered a small moan as he continued to kiss her, dropping his head down to kiss her neck repeatedly.

The couple worked their way upstairs somehow, Emilia managing it backwards with her eyes closed, Murdoch steering her into the bedroom, bringing her to the edge, then gently pushing her onto it. She looked up at him from the bed, giving him a come hither look. The officer loosened up his tie, pulled off his jacket, then straddled her, taking off her shirt as she unbuttoned his.

"I've dreamed of this for months-years!" Murdoch amended as he kissed her hungrily, unlacing her corset and peeling it off of her. Emilia laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to bring him in closer. "Well, telling me something then aren't you?"

"Oh, shut up!" feigning exasperation, Emilia stripped Murdoch of his shirt as he fumbled a bit with her underskirt, but he managed to get it off of her in the end. Both of them stark naked now, Murdoch straddled her again and she gave a slight gasp as the familiar cold feeling wrapped itself around her lower body as Murdoch grinned.

"All I've wanted is to be with you since this whole war started!" she necked him as he began to take up a familiar rhythm. The sailor had spent many sleepless nights aboard his destroyer and torpedo boats dreaming about Emilia and the touch of her lips on his which helped to keep him sane during many tense moments.

The princess had been worried about him for so long, now it was very rewarding to see her man back in the flesh, unscarred by his activities in the call of duty. She arched her head back in sheer pleasure as the rhythm crescendoed up, one of her hands fumbled for something to hold on to, but Murdoch caught her hand, kissed the fingertips, then held it as a final rush of pleasure pulsated through them.

"Will!" she cried out loudly, her body pleasurably throbbed as he collapsed next to her, both of them covered in sweat. Panting, the couple traded more kisses as the sensations dulled.

"I've dreamed of this," he kissed her knuckles, glancing over to see that she was smiling back at him. "all those long nights and orders of battering around the Dover patrol, all I could see was you and your smile, Em."

"Back at you, Will. My mother would tease me and say that I was lovesick."

"Are you?"

"Yeah!" Emilia laughed, rolling over in her sheet and leaning on Murdoch's shoulder. "So what do we do now?"

"Fire your butler." the sound of rustling sheets then Emilia's little gasp of pleasure followed as Murdoch prepared for the second round of lovemaking.

At that time, Alphonse was eavesdropping on their little tryst, having come upstairs to dust and sweep the master bedroom. His eyes hardened and he knew if he was going to do something to secure his path to the throne, he'd have to do it soon.

* * *

That night during supper, both Murdoch and Emilia were unwilling to leave the room, so Alphonse brought two covered plates, flushing red at the sight of Emilia just wearing her thin robe which left nothing to the imagination.

"By the way, Alphonse," his heart jumped when she talked to him. "I'm moving in with Will here, so I won't be needing your services any more."

He expected that, but he still felt his heart plummet. How could she stand there so callously with her lover boy and casually say that his days serving her would be numbered? Alphonse watched as Murdoch and Emilia enjoyed a casual drink together, giggling loudly as the butler saw red. Emilia would pay, he decided. Sometime soon she would pay for betraying him and his confidence!

Alphonse's eyes settled on Murdoch, hating him with a fiery passion that burned in his very soul. The sailor was rugged, well-built, he'd seen some very prominent service within the war that Alphonse had privately hoped would kill him. It had done just the opposite, for Murdoch and his friend Lightoller. Both of them were RNR,

commanders at that as well. Even though neither of them cared for the pomp and circumstance of the navy, they did very well in their services regardless.

"There something wrong, Alf?" Emilia asked kindly, but he knew that her tone meant to get out and leave the lovebirds alone. He sighed and left, slamming the door a little harder than what he meant to.

"He's going to be upset," Murdoch warned Emilia as she got back into bed with him. "keep an eye out and don't be in the same room with him without me there. I wouldn't put it past him to start something with you. Be on your guard."

"I will," Emilia vowed. "that jerk has had this coming for a long time. He'd never be half the man that you are, love." she kissed his lips as he cupped her face in his hands, looking at her, gently thumbing her lips apart.

"Nobody could ever be half the woman you are." Murdoch returned the kiss affectionately.

The two of them had several romantic rendezvous and by the time dawn was arising, the pair had finally fallen asleep. On his way downstairs to do the chores, Alphonse peeked into the room, seeing Emilia in Murdoch's arms appearing in the light of the early morning asleep but very happy on her face. Murdoch was wearing a similar expression as well.

Angry, the butler went into his room, opened up his steamer trunk, searched through his old belongings, then pulled out a smoked green bottle. His father had been a doctor but had his license taken away from him. Having been accused of malpractice, he had been stripped of his license, his office was sold, and he was a societal outcast. The old man then became a laudanum addicted doddering old fool, but he had taught his son a few things before he died. Clenching the bottle in his hand, he grinned and went into the kitchen.

When the Alphonse was outside the bedroom with two covered plates in a tray, he set the tray down on the hall table, pulled out the bottle from his pocket, then put a few drops into Murdoch's teacup. He corked the bottle before Emilia could open up the door, then knocked once.

Emilia opened up the door and admitted Alphonse into her room. He walked over to the bureau, handing Murdoch the teacup, giving Emilia hers, then retiring from the room with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Seems rather composed," Murdoch muttered as he sipped his tea.

"he's up to something, Emilia."

"I've no doubt," she took her tray and set it on the bed, uncovering the plate. "we have to be on our guard, Will."

"Indeed."

"So what do you want to do today?"

"I have nothing planned. You?"

"Actually nothing as well. We can always go riding but the horses aren't going to like being in cold weather."

"Why don't we just talk?"

Emilia laughed. "OK, what do you want to talk about?"

"What is going on with your sister's murder case?" Murdoch joined her on the bed.

"The case trail is as they say, gone cold. The constables have been preoccupied with the war, so nothing ever became of the case. The murderer has remained at large," she hung her head, feeling unwanted tears come to her eyes. Murdoch knew after all this time she still felt responsible for her sister's death. "all I want is closure, Will."

"You'll get it," the sailor told her gently. "I want you to get it. Can't you get some men on the case, you being a royal and all?"

"Dad tried a few times, but they keep saying the leads didn't pan out and there's nothing that they can do."

"Damn," Murdoch muttered, draining his tea. "I don't suppose I could do anything either."

"Just the fact that you want to is good enough for me," Emilia kissed him. "you're so good to me."

"You're very good to me." he countered, kissing her forehead.

"So tell me of your travels in the Dover patrol?" finishing their breakfasts, they put the tray on her bureau and lay down on the bed. Murdoch took Emilia's left hand and caressed it as he began the story of his men's shenanigans on board his destroyer.

"So my man Clyde, I think you remember him from the letters I wrote you?"

"Of course."

"He's a good-looking chap, lots of ladies in port had their eyes on him. The other sailors would rib him a bit and he always took it in good humor. We managed to stumble upon a German U-boat while out on patrol while Lights and a few of the other destroyers had to stand down for 3 days of boiler cleaning. I was at the bridge with Clyde when we saw the wake in the water that's made when a torpedo is fired, so I gave the order to port away from it. Thankfully the destroyer is extremely quick on the helm, so we were able to maneuver away from it in time. She gave us a few strafing shots, one of which hit the plane glass near the bridge, it shattered, and it cut me on the head. A bit of debris came out from the shot, clipped me on the head. I remembered falling, but nothing else."

"Where did it hit you?"

"Right here," Murdoch moved aside a bit of his hair to reveal a small scar near his right temple. "it got me pretty good and when I woke up, I saw I was in the sick bay. The surgeon told me I'd been knocked out for about 6 hours and Clyde was managing the ship very well. He has great things ahead of him, Emilia."

"He sounds like you, Will. I bet he'll rise up through the ranks pretty quickly."

"I hope so. He has the natural charm that is very becoming of an officer."

"So, I told you a tale, you tell me one," Murdoch teased, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing each one of her knuckles. "I've got all day."

"Oh, I know. Well, when I was in Halifax, I helped a local farmer harvest apples from his orchard all 4 years. Alphonse was there and I admit he was helpful when I was alone. Dad and Mom would still travel over Canada, Eddie would travel too. There was a time when I took a walk in the woods, tripped over a tree root, then sprained my left ankle. I ended up hobbling home from the woods, couldn't put any weight on my ankle for about 4 days afterwards."

"Anything else?"

"Not much. I had a couple of colds but that was nothing major."

"You know what? Talk is cheap," Murdoch began to neck her, making her moan softly in the manner that he really liked. "milady."

"You're such a flirt." she joked, surrendering to his touch.

* * *

Later on that same day, Emilia bundled up in her coat to walk in the woods with Murdoch. She buttoned up her black greatcoat, pulled on her black leather gloves, then wrapped a blue and white scarf around her neck. Murdoch joined her, buttoning up his coat as well, offering his arm for her to claim which she did, then they set outside for a walk.

"Look at that, Will," they had barely touched the edge of the woods when a deer stepped into view boldly, his majestic looking antlers glinting in the sunlight. Through a curtain of frost, the sunlight made everything both glitter and a faint haze was forming, oddly making Emilia and Murdoch think that they were in a dream. "a buck."

"Beautiful creatures." the creature gazed at them, big brown eyes blinking slowly, then he turned to graze on a fallen leaf.

"Oh, I don't know. I think a .22 gauge shotgun would bring him down," Emilia muttered. "I never liked deer much anyway."  
"Since when?"

"Since I've been to Canada, Will. I don't think much of the stupid deer and I have a taste for venison. If Eddie were here he could bring that sucker down and we'd all be feasting. Look how fat this joker is."

"You're more and more unlike any princess I've ever met."

"I'm the only one you've ever met," Emilia grinned. "and you love me for that."

"That and much more." he kissed her, then gasped and put his head in one hand.

"My kisses can't be that bad, can they?"

Murdoch tried to look up but found his head was spinning. Emilia's face loomed into his view, split into two faces, then back into one again. She said something but he couldn't understand her for some reason. Emilia put her hand on his arm and guided him to sit down under a tree, scaring the deer who bounded away.

"Will, what is it?" he focused hard on her face which came into view fully. The sailor grasped her arm and made to stand up, but she firmly kept him down on the ground. "Tell me."

"Can't see straight," he grumbled. "maybe we overdid it last night."  
Emilia sniggered. "Somehow I highly doubt it. You and me know our limits and trust me, we did not overdo it."

"Right. Help me back to the house, please," she helped him stand back up and leading him by her arm, they made it back into the house. "I just can't see straight right now."

"Overtired?" she shed her coat and helped him take his off, handing them to Alphonse. The butler smirked behind his hand as he turned to put the coats into the hall closet. Murdoch slouched a little bit as he felt something like a heavy weight settle on his shoulders. Emilia guided him upstairs to the bedroom, assisted him in taking his shoes and tie off, then made him lie down on the bed.

"If this keeps up tomorrow I'll have to call the doctor," she crossed to the windows, untied the sash for the curtains and brought them down. The room grew considerably darker as the curtains were drawn and Emilia had to blink in the brightness of the sun touching the frost outside. "our escapades last night must have taken more out of him than I thought."

Like in the summer house in Kent, Emilia's room also had a four poster bed with curtains around it. She loosened up the sashes, tying each one to the bedpost so she wouldn't lose them, and spread the curtains so Murdoch would have some privacy.

"Something wrong with Mr. Murdoch, Miss Emilia?" Emilia jumped then turned to see Alphonse was standing in the doorway with afternoon tea on a tray he was holding.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Could he be responsible for this? Murdoch was in perfect health when he arrived yesterday, could it be Alphonse had done something to him in the meantime? Not wanting to believe it, she dismissed the notion, thinking that Alphonse wasn't the type of person to take his revenge out on an innocent human being.

"No, just a bit tired from our activities yesterday," she couldn't understand it. Murdoch had remarkable stamina from his years as a sailor and it didn't make sense to her that he would tire so easily. "you should be getting your things together for the return to your family, Alf. I can handle everything here. You have until tomorrow to get your shit together and off my property."

Alphonse did nothing but put the tea tray on her bureau and leave the room. Marching to his quarters, he clenched his hands into fists, slammed his door and locked it unnecessarily. Emilia did not venture into his quarters under any circumstances. "Foolish girl," he spat out angrily. "years of servitude and I get the sack!" yanking his things out of the wardrobe, he stuffed them into his steamer trunk willy-nilly, not even bothering to fold them.

Among his possessions was a highly valuable piece of jewelry. Alphonse picked it up, a locket necklace made out of sterling silver. He put it on the bureau as he left one outfit on top of it for the next day.  
"He's not worthy of her!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial again. He was relieved from duty, but that didn't mean that he couldn't still cook and make drinks for them.

Stuffing his books and keepsakes into a small suitcase, he finished and sat down on the bed, remembering the time when Stephen and Emilia had found him. Alphonse had been a young lad, not even 18 yet when he had been kicked out of his house by his mad father. The young man had been in a series of transient hotels for about 7 nights when he ran out of money. Alphonse had stolen his father's bankroll before he was thrown out of the house so it did tide him over some while he looked for work.

There had been a small transient hotel where he had stayed for two days, ran out of money, then he had been thrown out for a second time in as many days. Alphonse had been sitting on the stoop, staring blankly when a fine brass-trimmed buggy had pulled up beside him and a finely clothed aristocrat had exited the carriage. Stephen had measured him up with his eyes, asked a few questions, then beckoned to his daughter who had come out to stand beside her father. It had been love at first sight for Alphonse, as Emilia was a very pretty girl with her blue-brown eyes, braided hair, and her sweet face. Even back then, Emilia was very much coming into her own, a loud and opinionated individual.

Stephen had asked her what she thought of the young man, she had checked him over with her eyes, then declared that he would be perfectly suitable as her butler. Alphonse hadn't been looking his best, but she had seen the potential in him and he never forgot that. Stephen gave him enough cash to ride out to the estate and look presentable, and as he reported for duty some days later, Emilia had personally taken him on and trained him. He had grown into a devoted servant, looking after Emilia, watching her grow up.  
After all the years of supporting her, nursing her through illness, she was ungrateful enough to fire him! Alphonse didn't think that she'd marry anyone but him.

"Big mistake." his gaze grew cold and hard as he glared at the necklace on his dresser.

* * *

The next morning, Emilia woke up, then rolled over to see that Murdoch had not stirred since she had put him to bed that night. Frowning, she put on a robe, went downstairs to make the breakfast. Opening up the cupboard door, she found a small vial tucked in the back, pulled it out, then uncorked it to sniff the contents.

The odor did not come to anything that she would recognize. Knowing that Alphonse was behind it, she quickly took a small container she used for keeping the small specimens of her jewels, put a sample into the container, then replaced the bottle before Alphonse could detect that it was missing.

Murdoch had been right, Emilia concluded, wrapping her hands around the mug of hot cocoa. He wouldn't trust Alphonse as far as he could throw them and Emilia could only conclude that she should have fired Alphonse before she had to leave for Canada. Alphonse would have had no recourse to hurting Murdoch at all then, but she had to hesitate and drag him along with her to Halifax.

With no sign of either Alphonse or Murdoch, Emilia heaved a sigh, finished her drink, then washed out her mug. She got dressed in a blue serge dress, put on her shoes, then pulled on her black greatcoat. The doctor's house wasn't far, a few doors down from her house.

Doctor Paul Anthony had been the family's physician for several years. He was quite clever, skilled in modern medicine, and a personal friend of the family as well. Emilia's mother was fond of him, Stephen liked to invite him over for a day of shooting or riding, and he never shirked his duty.

Dr. Anthony was 6 feet tall, had a head of what was once blonde hair but had mostly turned quite in the intervening years. He had keen brown eyes, a network of tiny wrinkles on his face which deepened when he was concerned but lightened when he smiled.

Emilia smiled to herself as she thought of him, stepping up his brick pathway and knocking on the small cottage door. When she had first met the doctor back when she was around 10 years old, he had been a bit chubby, vivacious, with a lovely wife and two children. Mrs. Anthony had been just as bubbly in personality as her husband, their two children Joshua and Agnes had inherited their parents' personas, their lively natures, and Emilia recalled playing with the children many times.

Now Joshua was off with a wife and family of his own, Agnes had taken the veil in a nunnery in France. Mrs. Anthony had died ten years ago and the elderly widower lived with an equally old housekeeper named Florence.

Rapping on the door, it was Florence that had answered. She had kind blue eyes with white hair piled onto her head. The housekeeper wore a simple blue dress with white pinafore and she was holding a dust rag in one hand.

"Why, it's Emilia!" the housekeeper chirped loudly. "Do come in, dear! Tell me everything that's been going on! When did you get back from the other side of the pond?" she allowed the housekeeper to take her arm, steer her inside and guide her towards the sofa. Florence always asked questions and never seemed to wait for an answer. Sitting down, Emilia didn't bother to reply as the housekeeper bustled off to the kitchen to stoke up the stove fire.

"My goodness," a gravelly voice crept into the room. "you're almost the spitting image of your father, my dear." Dr. Anthony came into view, leaning on a walking stick. "How many years has it been now?"  
"At least 8 years since I saw you, sir." he assumed the chair across from Emilia and offered tea, which she declined.

"I was sorry to hear about your sister, Sarah," Dr. Anthony accepted the teacup from Florence who gave Emilia a wink in passing. "great shame."

"Thank you, sir," Dr. Anthony had been at the funeral but she barely remembered seeing him there and accepting his condolences. "it was a great loss."

The physician's gnarled old hand pressed down upon hers kindly. "It is always a great tragedy when one loses one that they love," he said sadly, remembering his own loss. "but I am glad to see you dear, after so many years."

Emilia did not like being called dear, but it felt natural for the doctor to call her that. In fact she preferred it. He felt so much like family and she always had him in a high regard. The princess leaned forward and pulled out the container from her pocket. "I am here on business, sir. The man I am courting with-"

"Aha! Is it that man they talk about in the newspapers? That Murdoch fellow?!" Dr. Anthony set his teacup down before he spilled it on the rug. "You'll be the first of your siblings to marry!"

"Eventually, sir. Anyway, we care for each other a great deal and that is why I am here today. Murdoch-Will-took sick yesterday and upon looking through the cupboard to fix my cocoa this morning I found this," she handed over the container. "I suspect my butler has something to do with this."

"Oh, that Alphonse character!" Florence muttered. "He was such a shady person, never liking to talk and all that. Aloof, that's what he was!"

"Mmm hmmm," Dr. Anthony allowed as he accepted the container, opened it up, then sniffed at it. "no discernable smell," he tilted it and tasted a drop. "it's laudanum."

"That explains it then. Yesterday, Will had a sudden attack of dizziness, he couldn't see straight, and as soon as I got him into the bed, he fainted and hasn't roused since."

"That would be the textbook symptoms, yes. It all depends on how much he was given."

"Right. I suspect Alphonse has something to do with this," Emilia put her head in her hands. "he never took to Will, always acted very aloof, now I think he's been drugging Will."

Dr. Anthony shrugged. "Is there any kind of activity that would make Mr. Murdoch more tired than usual?"

She lifted up her head. "No. He's a sailor and trust me, he's got loads of stamina." a flush of color infiltrated her face and the doctor laughed as Florence tittered. "Will and I, we're in love and I know we will be engaged sometime soon. I told Alphonse yesterday that he has 24 hours to pack up his things and leave the house. I'm moving into Will's house in Southampton and it's a small place so I won't need Alphonse."

"Really? Why didn't you transfer Alphonse to your brothers or parents?"

"Because Alphonse was hired on especially for me. Everyone else has their own staff of servants. I just want nice and low key lifestyle with my Will."

"You will get it, dear. I can say at this point that I suspect that Alphonse has been drugging Mr. Murdoch, but we need to catch him in the act in order to get any proof."

"Well, when Will becomes conscious again, I think we can manage that." the heat from the fireplace and her coat which was still on was making her turn red at the cheeks. "I think I should get back to the house and keep a sharp eye out on Will so Alphonse can't come and drug him again."

"Good idea!" Dr. Anthony rose up when she did. "I will stop by in an hour or two in order to at least give the impression that I'm doing my job. We'll ambush the sot and have him out of the house by noon today!" the old doctor was excited by the fact he had a part to play. Emilia hugged him tightly, knowing he was honored that she had thought of him. She hugged Florence goodbye as well, telling her that she would love to stop by soon and joked that Florence better have made some of Emilia's favorite treats, meringue cookies. The jolly housekeeper flushed red in the face, pleased that Emilia remembered her signature treat. She had become addicted to them at a young age and though she tried to master the recipe, she never could.  
The princess shut the door to the cottage, a little smile on her face. Once long ago she had thought that the doctor and the housekeeper might marry, but Stephen had told her that the two would be just friends and never more than that. Dr. Anthony's heart belonged to his late wife and he would never remarry. With a little shake of her head, she started down the lane, ignoring the icy breeze that tried to creep up into her coat.

* * *

A door slammed shut downstairs and Murdoch opened up his eyes, feeling very tired still and quite confused. What had happened to him? He vaguely remembered talking with Emilia outside yesterday and she had a loathing of deer as an animal but she loved deer meat. Wiping his eyes, he sat up in bed, brushing aside the curtain. Weakly he stood up, then tied back the curtains so he could see if it was daylight outside.

"The hell?" he put his head in one hand for a brief moment, trying to get his wits about him. He had slept in yesterday's clothes, so he changed out of them, pausing every few moments. Where was Emilia? The sailor wanted to stick his head out into the hallway and call for her, but he was too weak to do so. His limbs felt heavy like lead and he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to get his stamina back.

Footsteps resounded on the stairs and within moments Emilia burst into the room. Shedding her coat as she walked over to Murdoch, Emilia sat down beside him and looked him in the eye. "Will? How are you feeling?"

"Tired and confused." he admitted. "I don't know why I came over all faint like that yesterday."

"I know," she hissed in a low voice. "I found a vial in the cupboard when I went to make hot cocoa for myself this morning. Alphonse wasn't up because he's not on duty anymore, so I took a sample to our old family doctor, Dr. Anthony. He discovered it was laudanum that Alphonse had been doping you with."

"What happens now?" he took her hand. "are we leaving today?"  
"No. We can't leave and besides I haven't even started packing yet. You're not well enough to do anything and besides that, the doctor and I have a plan," she dropped her voice lower. "you are to play a big part in it."

"Oh, it sounds like you have something up your sleeve," Murdoch's eyes were glazed over from the effects of the drug, but he could still work up a bit of enthusiasm for Emilia's plan. She never failed him in any respect so he was glad to hear what she had hatched this time.  
"Listen, Will, we'll need your complete cooperation in order for this to work.." she took him aside.

One hour later, the doctor called in and even though Alphonse was no longer employed there, he still took Dr. Anthony up to the room. Emilia, lurking behind them hidden by the curtains on the second floor drawing room. The ex butler took Dr. Anthony right into the room where Murdoch was lying supine, pretending to be asleep.

"Ah, stay with us if you please, Alphonse," the doctor's voice was bright and cheery as usual, not letting on that he knew of what had been happening in that house. "I may need you to fetch me something from the kitchen."

"As you please, sir." he stood near the doorway as Dr. Anthony sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hand on Murdoch's chest as a say of silently telling him that he was there. The sailor gave a theatrical sigh and opened up his eyes slowly, seeing Dr. Anthony looming above him.

"Hush, lad," the doctor told him in a whisper. "I'm here for you. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"How long do I feel like this, sir?"

"The effects should wear off about suppertime tonight. Just go with me on this one, OK?" Dr. Anthony winked, instilling more confidence in Murdoch.

"If Emilia trusts you sir, I do as well."

"That's the spirit," Dr. Anthony said loudly, not wanting to cause Alphonse any suspicion by whispering. "perhaps you and Emilia will hire me to deliver your children after you're married."

The sailor blushed but did not say anything else. Dr. Anthony chuckled but did not say anything more as he performed a complete physical examination on Murdoch. Every 6 months while out at sea, he had to have a complete physical in order to keep on working for the White Star Line and he had always passed his exams with flying colors.

"Hmm, throat fine, nares patent, no purulent discharge," he took Murdoch's pulse. "nice and regular but a bit sluggish due to your fatigue. Your heart is normal sounding, no jaundice, no irregularity at all. There's one more test that I want to perfom and I will need a glass of water from the kitchen. Alphonse, would you be so kind as to fetch that for me?"

Through the door, Emilia heard Dr. Anthony's cue, then scampered downstairs to the kitchen where she hid herself in the dining room adjacent behind the sliding pocket door. Alphonse's quick steps thudded into her ears as she grabbed a book from the nearby table and opened it, pretending to read in case he walked in unexpectedly.  
Peering through the crack in the door, Emilia saw Alphonse turn on the tap, fill up a glass with the water, then he set it on the countertop facing her. He opened up a cupboard, pulled something out of it, then in plain sight of Emilia, uncorked it and began to put it into the glass.

"The HELL do you think you're doing?!" Emilia shoved open the door and stomped into the room, her blue serge dress rustling loudly. Alphonse, startled, dropped the vial on the counter which she snatched up. "What the hell is this?!"

If she hoped that he would have the sense enough to come clean, those hopes were dashed. Alphonse smirked arrogantly as she held it up in one hand. "That's medicine for Mr. Murdoch that the doctor ordered."

Emilia knew that there was no chance in hell that Dr. Anthony would have prescribed something for Murdoch in this case. She shook her head, her earrings bouncing with every movement. "If you're lying, I'll find out."

"What could you know about honesty from that common sailor?" he fired back, making Emilia's jaw drop open. "Do you know how many women that sailor has been with?"

"Only one before me! Come now!" she grabbed him like her mother used to do with her when she'd been naughty, grabbing his ear and pulling it with all her might.

* * *

"What's going to happen?" Murdoch asked as soon as Alphonse had left the room.

"Well, we are going to put Alphonse in prison where he belongs. You and Emilia will move into your Southampton house where you will marry, have many children, and live in your happily ever after."

"I hope so."

"We've set it up so that Emilia will catch Alphonse doing something incriminating and we just play it by ear from there. If all goes well, you can start packing tomorrow."

"I really hope so."

"Have you decided about children yet?" the doctor prodded gently, sensing apprehension. Murdoch gulped and looked up at the doctor with an almost guilty expression on his face. "Bad experience?"

"It was worse than that," the sailor muttered. "my first wife Ada was with child during our first year of marriage and when I was away on the Doric, she had a miscarriage with near fatal bleeding. When I got back, I was horrified to learn the truth, she was devastated and it took a long time of me counseling her in order to help. She felt responsible in taking away our happiness but I had to get her to see reason."

"How old was your wife, sir?"

"Nigh on 38 years, doctor."

"Emilia is barely 27. Based on what we know of anatomy and fertility, she's got some good childbearing years left in her. She's younger and a very strong person."

"Possibly. I would like an heir and a beautiful little girl to take care of. My parents would love more grandchildren," Murdoch admitted. "we'll see."

"There you go. Don't discount every possibility. Take it as it comes." they heard Emilia bellowing downstairs and both chuckled. "She's always been able to do loud very well."

A scuffle sounded, then one pair of angry footsteps with a lighter pair following came up the stairs and the door burst open. Alphonse, all dignity forgotten, glared at the princess and the two men like it was all their fault he was caught. The sailor returned glares with one he had developed to stop junior officers in their tracks. It was impressive and Alphonse temporarily dropped his glare.

"Doctor, I caught him stirring this into Will's drink. I know it's not medicine." she handed over the vial, Dr. Anthony tasted it and said it was laudanum.

"I didn't prescribe that. Alphonse, where did you get such a thing? You know you can't get it without a prescription."

"I've had that since I left my father's house almost 12 years ago."  
"Laudanum gets stronger as it ages!" the doctor lectured sharply. "Even the slightest dose could render Mr. Murdoch here unconscious for almost 24 hours straight!"

Alphonse didn't appear disturbed by that, proof to them that he knew more than what he was leading on. Emilia swore colorfully, making Murdoch grin and startling the other two men.

"Why on earth would you do something like that? Like the rest of the help, you should be happy that I met someone who loves me!" the question had been bugging her for awhile now and she would finally get an answer.

Alphonse sneered. "Because I have loved you from the first day that I met you!"

Murdoch had guessed as much, but Emilia still gasped upon hearing it. Dr. Anthony's expression was of similar shock, but he narrowed his eyes and left the room. "I'm calling the police!"

"Good idea, doctor. You're not in love with me!"Emilia sputtered as Murdoch sat up on the bed. Alphonse glared at her but did not reply. "Of course you're not in love! Love means that you like me for me and if I happen to fall in love with someone else, you'd leave me be and be happy for me!" she snatched the vial from where Dr. Anthony had left it and threw it at Alphonse. It just missed him, hitting the wall and shattering into several pieces. "Get your shit! I'll have to supervise you now just to make sure that you don't hurt anyone else."

The sailor had wanted to help her, but he was still feeling too weak to help in any way. He wanted to, but he didn't have any strength at all. Alphonse followed Emilia out to his room and he had picked up his suitcase when her eyes traveled over to his bureau. Glinting in the sunshine was the necklace he had forgotten to pack.

"Is that what I think it is?!" she barked out, crossing the room and picking up the necklace. Alphonse swore as the locket popped open, revealing two tiny photos of Emilia on one side and Sarah on the other. "My sister's locket! How in the hell did it get here?!"

"I-she gave it to me a few days before she died," he lied. "she always liked me."

"That is the best nonanswer I've ever heard!" Emilia raged. "Sarah loved this locket and she was wearing it the day she died-" she gasped and backed away, her eyes becoming bigger with every second passing. "You did NOT!"

"What's the point in hiding it now?" the former butler snorted. "That stupid wench-"

"As long as you are under my roof you will speak in a RESPECTFUL manner!" Emilia almost screamed, hand clutching at the locket like it was a lifeline.

"As long as that WENCH was around, you were only the second best! You know how much your mother loved your sister more than you!"

"You misconstrue everything, Alf! My family dynamics are not your problem and they never were! Sarah and I were equals, we had a great childhood, not that you ever saw it! I loved my sister and she loved me!"

"You only think that-"

"SHUT UP!" Emilia roared so loudly. "I will see you off in the police wagon before the day is out! Get your goddamn gutter trash out of my house before I see to it that you never work again!"

"I won't be working again as your butler!" he shot back in a feeble attempt to try to preserve what was left of his dignity. A sudden commotion reached their ears downstairs as a rich voice emanating authority wafted up to them. Alphonse froze, but he tried to dodge past Emilia to try to make a break for it.

"Oh no you don't!" Emilia caught him by the shirt tail, tried to rein him back as he ran towards the stairs, lost her grip and took a tumbling down the stairs as the constable managed to catch the fleeing criminal.

"My dear!" Dr. Anthony bent over her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm OK." Emilia tried to sit up but her head was spinning slightly. "I better just sit still for a moment."

"Come on, I must examine you upstairs. You can give your statement to the constable here."

"OK." Emilia gave her statement, citing the necklace as a tip off that Alphonse had murdered her sister. The constable wrote it all down and asked Alphonse for a confession.

"Fine! No point in keeping it in anymore." he at least had to know when he had been beaten. "I got that sodding twit Tristan drunk that night-it wasn't hard to do really, what a wine driven old sot that idiot was that night. He was prone to drink, I tried to get him rip roaring drunk and mad, tried to tell him that Sarah was no good for him at all, I tried to influence him to murder Sarah by strangling her, but he was too drunk and just fell on the floor."

"Why did you want Miss Worthington dead?" the constable handcuffed Alphonse and was making notes.

"So that Emilia here would have a better chance at getting the crown when she becomes queen!"

"A dozen relatives need to die before that happens! I don't want to be queen anyway! Too much responsibility!" Emilia lashed out, feeling her hair coming loose from its knot.

"So I throttled the bitch," Alphonse said calmly. Dr. Anthony embraced Emilia, not wanting her to look at the former butler and knowing that she needed a friendly face to comfort her. "I was in love with her and I know she reciprocated that."

"Liar!" Emilia choked out. "I love Will Murdoch and I will love nobody but him!"

"She's in denial," Alphonse explained. The constable looked over at Emilia and winked, understanding her completely. What Alphonse didn't know was that he was incriminating himself, giving the policeman more evidence by his blindness to the fact that Emilia was not in love with him at all. "so I strangled Sarah and I would do it again! She would always treat me with cruelty, threatening me and all that."

Emilia rolled her eyes and looked up at Dr. Anthony who kissed her on the forehead, helping her up. They knew the rest of the story, how Sarah had been strangled in her own room the night before she was to be married.

Murdoch started when he saw the two people enter the room. Emilia had a shallow cut on one cheek but other than that, she seemed fine. Dr. Anthony briefly recounted the story to Murdoch, who sighed.  
"I don't have to say I told you so."

"Oh, shut up! I'm going to get packing here." Emilia pulled out her suitcases, arranged her clothes in them, and then snapped the locks shut. She dragged out her steamer trunk, packed it full with her most precious possessions, and locked the trunk tightly. "What say we go to your house tonight, Will?"

"So soon? Well, I suppose."

Dr. Anthony bade them a fond farewell, left the home as Murdoch felt more of his weariness fall away from him. The sailor regained his energy, going over the house with Emilia and making sure that she had taken everything that she wanted. Several keepsakes found their way into her pockets, she picked up her summer and winter outdoor attire, packed them up, then called for a horse and hack wagon to haul the items to the home in Southampton.

* * *

"Come on, Will. Let's start our lives together." Emilia got up into the wagon and Murdoch followed her.

"Before we go on, I have a question," the sailor showed her a small emerald and sapphire ring. "will you help me make it official?"

"Do you need to ask?" Emilia laughed and allowed Murdoch to fit the ring on her finger. "It's perfect, just like you."

They kissed deeply as the clouds rolled into the sky and Emilia felt a drop of coldness on her shoulder. "Will, it's snowing!"

"Come on, we better get into town before your things get ruined!"

they huddled together on the buckboard seat and flicked the reins.

"There's going to be so many wonderful things ahead in store for us." Murdoch leaned his arm around his now fiancee's shoulders.

"I can't wait for the future now."

* * *

**TELEGRAM FROM EMILIA AF WORTHINGTON TO STEPHEN AND EVELYN WORTHINGTON**

Will and I are engaged STOP Wedding set in two months STOP Invite only 10 people, we want it low key as possible STOP

**TELEGRAM FROM STEPHEN AND EVELYN WORTHINGTON TO EMILIA WORTHINGTON AND WILLIAM MURDOCH**  
Congratulations STOP We will be in town on the 15th of February STOP


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Engagement and Marriage

A/N: I know nothing about Lights's kids in real life, so I'm just making it up as I go.

"Dear Emilia and Will;

"Is it true? First off the news article that your creepy butler tried to kill my buddy Will? I would just love to have five minutes alone with that asshole and make him see reason! I think that the ultimate punishment I'd love to foist off on him! A good old hanging from the yardarm and I think that Will would agree with me on that one.

"Life is good with Sylvia and me, not to mention our family. My wife and I have five children now and our youngest, Brian, keeps us up sometimes! He's not even a year old yet and I know that we will not be having any children anymore. We're getting too old for this and it's time for the next phase of our lives.

"I was honored for my work on Dover patrol, as I think you both know, getting a bar to my uniform and made a full commander before the war was out. I do miss the informal ways of the merchant marine, so after the new year, I will be going back out to sea. Will, shall I see you there perhaps?

"Secondly, is it really true that you two are getting married? There was an announcement in the paper about you two getting married and the media is all over it. I hope you let your parents have advance notice first before the newspapers found out!

"Sylvia and I would be horribly insulted mind you if we were not invited to the marriage ceremy-not to worry, our children would not be there. When can we expect an invitation to the happy ceremony?

"Do write back soon or stop by any time at all.

"Fondly, Charles and Sylvia."

* * *

"Dear my beloved sister;

"I bet you don't recognize the address on the envelope, but knowing you as well as I do, you will open this and read it to make sure that it was from someone that you know. You do know me, I would hope.

"It's your big brother, Randal! I do apologize for not writing all these years, but I've been having my own life out here in California. I will send a letter to our parents explaining my absence for these past almost 8 years now with the war and all.

"Secretly, I met a lady by the name of Bridget Alexandra about 6 years ago, a year of courtship followed, and I married her. We both rode out the war here in California, it was a year of blissfulness, then the kids arrived.

"Yes, kids, sis. Bridget and I had a little boy and a little girl, Jonathan Matthew and the little girl is named Rosemary Trinity. I will send some pictures when the photographer gets back from his vacation, I promise.

"Please send me the information about your wedding and my family and I will make it over there. I have been away from you for far too long and I sincerely regret that I wasn't able to make it for Sarah's funeral. Jonathan was sick and I could not leave him alone. I know you all would understand that one.

"Congratulations, little sister and I will come for your marriage ceremony. My little sister married! I can't wait for it and I can't wait to meet Will Murdoch. He is a very lucky man.

"Love your big brother Randal."

* * *

The week before Christmas, Emilia turned from the room she was just putting the finishing touches on, having redecorated the entire first floor in less than two weeks time. She had received the letter from her brother and was quite excited to start planning the wedding. Murdoch had gone out on the Celtic for the Christmas run last week and was due home at any time. Things had gotten a bit slow in the merchant marine, and he missed having his own command, but he was sure to be a captain sometime that summer.

The princess swept back a strand of stray hair, tucking it behind her ear as she made modifications to the stenciled trim just under the ceiling line. Murdoch had given her carte blanche to modify any room in the house to her liking, as he didn't care one way or another. Emilia had also taken most of the ratty old furniture away, replaced the old couch with a more comfortable model which went with the new color scheme.  
Finished with her stenciling touchup, Emilia put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. It was the master bedroom which had a very light turquoise color painted on the walls. The color reminded her of the sea, she had framed a picture of the Oceanic she had gotten from one of Lightoller's friends, and the furniture had been done in a light maple. Grinning to herself, Emilia put a large conch shell on the desk in front of the window for ornamentation. Murdoch's clothes had all been freshly washed and put away, his bookshelf was neatened up some, and Emilia already had some Christmas presents stashed for him.

The living room had been painted over in a light cream color with pine wood paneling and door molding, the new sofa was gray so it didn't show dust and dirt as much as white did. She had redone the mantlepiece, cleaning it thoroughly and staining it a pine color so that it matched the rest of the furniture.

It had been two weeks since Alphonse stood trial, the likes of which had been publicized to no end by the media. Emilia had always worked well with the media in the past and during the trial was no different. She was well liked by the general public and the media was favorable to her as well, likening Alphonse to a homicidal maniac. The crafty princess had also used the media to her advantage as well, securing permission from Murdoch to let the public know of their engagement. Shortly before he left on another voyage, Emilia had commissioned a publicity portrait of the both of them to be released in the newspaper. The picture had been of Murdoch and Emilia sitting on the couch with smiles on their faces, her head leaning on his shoulder, their hands joined together.

Footsteps sounded and Emilia checked herself in the mirror, adding a tinsel string to her hair, tying it around her chignon at the back. She had decorated the house for Christmas as well, holly sprigs and pine boughs on the mantlepiece, a decorative red candle in a hurricane glass adorned the table with a small poinsettia around it.

"Well, hello!" Murdoch stood in the doorway, glancing around into the entryway of the house.

"Hello yourself," she put a holly sprig in his lapel. "come on in, I can't wait for you to see it."

"Oh, sounds intriguing." he teased as he allowed her to take his hand.

The sailor loved the improvements that Emilia had put into the house, adding value to it as well. She redid the spare room so it was a pale yellow, Murdoch noting that it was a pleasing color so they would not be redoing it in case they had children in the future.

Ever since Lightoller had teased him a bit about children possibly in the future, he had put the thought into his friend's head. It even came into his dreams at time and he was warming to the possibility gradually.

"You know Charles and Sylvia have invited us to supper tonight," Emilia mentioned, smiling as Murdoch kissed her on the cheek. "you up for it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you just came home. I thought you might want to relax."

"I am relaxed when I see you." he sniggered, getting closer and smelling the fragrance of her hair. "I'm up for a visit to the chaos house Charles lives in."

"Better get ready then. It's almost five."

"Oi, is that mistletoe?" Murdoch glanced up at the doorway to the bedroom. Emilia laughed.

"I didn't think it would take you that long to find it," she teased, surrendering to his kiss. "come on then."

Murdoch got into his civilian clothes while Emilia checked her red and green checked calico dress, picked up her black overcoat, then pulled on her leather gloves. Murdoch put on his bowler hat, Emilia pinned on her hat, they locked up the house tightly and went off to Lightoller's house.

* * *

The chaos house was very aptly nicknamed by Murdochy, as when they neared the house, they could hear the boisterous voices of several children. It had snowed the night before and Lightoller had thoughtfully shoveled out a pathway, then sprinkled down dirt to make sure nobody would slip and fall.

Sylvia opened up the door with her daughter clinging to her skirts shyly. "Hello, come on in!"

"Thank you, Sylvia. Lovely to see you again," Murdoch and Emilia greeted her warmly. "who is this one?"

"This is Doreen. She's a bit shy." the little girl had her mother's eyes and Lightoller's roan brown hair. She looked at Murdoch timidly, but her eyes riveted on Emilia as the sailor took her coat off.

"Hi, Doreen," Emilia offered her hand to the little girl. "it's all right, hon." Doreen was a pretty little girl with curly brown hair framing her face. She put her hand in Emilia's and gave her a timid smile. "how are you?"

"Up!"

"Oh, if you insist!" with a laugh, Emilia hoisted up the 3-year-old girl who giggled with glee.

"Well, hello hello!" Lightoller came down the stairs with his 6-month-old son. "Sylvia, this one is getting fussy so maybe you need to-"

"I'll tend to him Charles, thank you," she hoisted the baby on one shoulder. "I'll be back in ten minutes." she winked and left the room. Lightoller's two older boys Roger and Trevor were playing with blocks in the living room while the oldest girl Mavis was sitting and reading a book.

"Ah, you've made a friend," Lightoller noticed Emilia holding Doreen. "she's a bit shy, always been a bit of a mommy's girl."

"Daddy!" the 3-year-old squawked. "Down, please!" Emilia put the child down carefully, watching her toddle off on a bowlegged gait, tacking erratically towards her big brothers.

"Children," Lightoller muttered. "I'm glad I have them but they are a handful!"

"I can imagine that!" Murdoch chortled, privately thinking that he'd never have more than 3 at the most. Five children was too much, especially for his modest income. He thought Emilia would agree with him on that one as well. Doreen was welcomed by her brother Trevor who pushed a few blocks over towards her. The toddler squealed with pleasure, plunked herself down, and began to build.

Murdoch and Lightoller started talking about ships and the war, so Emilia went into the bedroom to see Sylvia buttoning up her blouse, young little Brian lying asleep in the crib nearby. "Hi."

"And you. It must be rewarding to look after your children, to be a mom."

"It is. I feel fulfilled in many ways," Sylvia admitted. "all of them are representations of Charles's and my love to each other. No material possessions could resemble a love of two people as well as children."

"I never thought of it like that."

"So have you and Will thought of any children together?"

"Not yet. I know that he's away all the time and it seems unfair to raise kids while he's always out at sea."

"But he always comes back, doesn't he? Charles does. Honestly I don't think the sea would ever be able to claim him."

"He's indefagitable, Sylvia."

"He better be or he wouldn't be the person that I married. Come now, time to put the children to bed."

When the children were upstairs and asleep, the two couples sat down to supper and gossiped about the past and the future.  
"Have you and Emilia thought about children, Will? You'd make a wonderful dad."

"I haven't thought about it to be honest."

"Me neither. There's so much to do before we think that far ahead."

"True, Em." Lightoller allowed. "What became of that butler chap? Life in prison I would hope?"

"Well, as luck would have it, prison unhinged him and he's a raving loony now. It doesn't matter that he never admitted in leaking me to the media like he did, but the fact he's a lunatic in a padded room for the rest of his life is the best unintentional revenge that I could think of."  
"It seems so, eh? What about wedding plans?"

"Family tradition, we're getting married at Westminster Abbey, but it will be a small congregation. Close family and friends, you two of course," Murdoch told them with a grin. "wouldn't be right without you two there. Emilia's brother and his family are even coming. We have to set the date after the new year to make sure they can get passage over here, line up everything, get our clothes all set, and we will be set to wed."

"I see," Lightoller looked at Sylvia thoughtfully. "very high class affair?"

"Just come in your best outfit and you will please us," Emilia assured him. "I don't want you all feeling shabby in any way."

"Here here!" Murdoch raised his glass as the others followed him. They drank to each other's health and gossiped over the rest of the supper.

* * *

On Christmas Eve the happy couple sat down in front of the fireplace in the living room, hands entwined together as the pine log in the fireplace snapped and popped unexpectedly. Emilia jumped but Murdoch did not bat an eye.

"I forget, sailors aren't ruffled by this sort of thing," she teased, tying the cinch on her bathrobe. "how foolish I must look to you."

"Well, yes." Murdoch laughed, bringing his arm to dangle around her shoulders. Emilia flipped her long braid over her shoulder to her back, the warmth from the fire was lulling her to sleep. "So what do you do for Christmas?"

"Not much. We opened up our presents in the morning, I'd help with the cooking and set the table, then our friends and family would stop by for Christmas dinner, we'd be spoiled with presents, etc. Usually something would be broken when the day came to a close," she giggled sleepily. "my brothers were always so rough."

Murdoch chuckled as he kissed the top of her head, noting her eyelids drifting shut.

After a few moments of staring at the fire, he began to feel sleepy himself, so he picked up his love, brought her to the bedroom, then lay down next to her, pulling the covers over both of them. Murdoch turned out the light and went to sleep.

Christmas day came astonishingly quickly. Emilia opened up her eyes, rubbed them, then sat up, stretching. New snow glittered on the windowpanes as the rising sun made them shine, nearly blinding Emilia as she got up out of bed. She drew back the curtains, enjoying the sight of the new snowfall for a moment.

"Will, time to get up," the princess nudged her fiance playfully. "remember, we have to pay a visit to Lights and his family, then my parents will be here in the afternoon."

"I don't get to sleep in on Christmas Day?" Murdoch play-whined. "What gives?"

"Come on. I never slept in late on the most important day of the year," she giggled, remembering the times when she and her siblings would charge down the stairs at the estate when it was barely five thirty in the morning. Her parents did not allow anyone to open gifts when they were not around and were very strict on the matter. Of course, Randal would often peel back the wrapping enough to see what it was then replace it.

"Up and at 'em." Emilia coaxed as he reluctantly rose from the sanctuary of his bed. "I'll get ready." she took up her clothes and went into the bathroom. Murdoch attired himself in his best dark brown serge suit, his hat, then made coffee for himself and Emilia, waiting for her.  
The princess looked like she'd walked out of a storybook. She wore a medium green skirt which stood out nicely and was rounded out by the underskirt, a white high necked blouse with a small cameo pin at her throat. Her peacoat was green to match her skirt with an edging of white shirred silk to match the blouse. Emilia was holding a green hat in her hand that had a ribbon of the same white silk around the crown. On the left hand side of her hat there was a small clutch of eagle feathers sewn diagonally in.

"You look wonderful."

"And you. Oh, Will! Do you think I can ever teach you how to properly tie that thing?" Murdoch was relatively new to ascots and he blushed as Emilia untangled the knot he'd managed to create and tied it properly.

"You seem to know the proper way around these things," he teased. "did you daddy tell you how to do it?"

"Actually yes. My brothers used to come to me complaining about how they couldn't tie theirs. I had to teach them many times." she finished and smoothed out the front. "You look smashing."

"Thank you, darling," he pecked her on the cheek. "Happy Christmas." Murdoch handed her a package which she opened up, revealing a beautiful blue and white silk shawl.

"I love it! Thank you so much!" Emilia rewarded him with a big kiss then handed him a package as well. "I do hope you like it."

Murdoch grinned as he opened it up, the smile growing brighter every second. "The complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! I've been looking for this everywhere."

Emilia had been pinning on her hat and putting her new shawl on. She gave him a coy look as she asked, "I guess it's a hit then?"

"Never ever think otherwise my dear." he stepped back and surveyed her. "That suits you very much. It was a good choice."

"Oh, pat yourself on the back some more!" she teased. "Come on, Charlie will have a fit if we're late."

"You know he's always been anal about punctuality. Do not call him Charlie or Chuckers whatever you do. He hates it. It's either Lights or Charles." Murdoch warned her as he shrugged into his coat.

"OK I guess." Emilia pretended to pout. "He's no fun."

"No fun?! Have you heard about Fort Dennison?" Murdoch locked the door after they stepped outside and dropped the key in his pocket.

"Yes. You told me you were ill during his escapade."

"I was. I'm glad too. I would have been forced to tell on him but it didn't matter." in that case ignorance had been bliss.

Their two hour visit with the rambunctious Lightoller family had been entertaining to say the least. The children acted like they were strung out on sugar as they insisted on showing the couple their toys several times, Emilia helped Sylvia in the kitchen, Murdoch and Lightoller took the boys out in the backyard and played games with them so the children could burn off their energy in a productive way.

"Sylvia, I think I've come to a decision," Emilia announced as she set the table. "I think Will would make a wonderful father, don't you?"

Sylvia almost dropped the dishes. "You aren't-"

"Not yet at least," she smiled. "I don't want to rush into something like that. He's a fine man and I'm lucky to have him."

"Taken our conversation last night into account, eh?" Sylvia adjusted the children's cups at their places. "I agree not to rush it and you both must be sure it is what you really want."

"I know it is. I'll talk to him tonight." Emilia rather looked forward to that conversation just to make sure that they were on the same page. Nothing would happen before their marriage, but it was good to plan ahead.

Christmas lunch was served with Emilia and the oldest daughter Mavis helping Sylvia as Lightoller playfully dubbed her the master of the ceremonies. The children were well behaved, the adults were amused by their antics and they were soon allowed to leave the table to play with their new toys.

Together, Murdoch and Emilia had bought toy cars for the boys, rag dolls for the girls, a new watch for Lightoller, for Sylvia, a beautiful gilt picture frame for her pictures of the children. Lightoller and Sylvia together gave Murdoch and Emilia a leather-bound book with the title FAMILY MEMORIES stamped on the cover and embossed with gold.

"Something to keep in mind." Lightoller joked.

* * *

That afternoon when they got back from the Lightoller household, Murdoch hung up his coat and Emilia's new shawl, then they lit a fire in the fireplace while Emilia got afternoon tea going. Everything had been prepared and ready, now they were waiting on Stephen and Evelyn coming by to see them.

"So Will, there's been something on my mind recently," Emilia began, snuggling up to him on the couch. "do you want children someday?"  
"What brought this on?"

"Like you need to ask?" the princess snorted. "Lightoller and Sylvia's brood of children are so lively, I feel like it would be natural for us to do so sometime in the future."

To her surpise, Murdoch gave a little sigh with a grin. "I've been thinking on it too."

"And?"

"It's too early for us right now, but further on down the road, if it should happen, I will be grateful. I have a great father to pattern myself on and you do. My parents were wonderful, yours was even if your mother was a little strict, you know."

"She didn't lead me down the wrong path." Emilia was silent for a moment, thinking about her dead sister. Murdoch gave her a kiss on the cheek and was silent for a few moments to give his fiancee some space.

"So after we've been married for a bit, then we can start thinking about children." he summarized.

"It's very practical." Emilia admitted with a lazy smile.

Stephen and Evelyn arrived about 20 minutes later, shaking out their wraps and hanging them up in the hall. The couple accepted their teacups from Murdoch as they sat down on the couch. Emilia stoked up the fire, putting a maple log on, then closed the fire grate.

"Well now, how has the holiday been treating you?" Stephen asked, his jolly tone infiltrating the room. Murdoch turned on the radio nearby to Christmas carols, adjusting the volume so it was low.

"Very well, Stephen," the officer sat down on the love seat with Emilia. "we visited some friends and received a few gifts that were wonderful."  
"Ah, I believe we can add to that! Dear?"

"Righto," Evelyn fished around in her purse then pulled out an envelope. Murdoch took it and with Emilia watching, he pulled out a piece of paper.

"You're giving us the summer house?"

"Yes indeed. Daffodil House is now yours. We don't use it, Edward is traveling across Europe a lot, and Randal has his family in California now."  
"Oh, so you got his letter now?"

"We did indeed. We're pleased that he has his own family and a wonderful wife. Your wedding date is set for May 10th, so that will be enough time for Randal to book passage over here on one of the liners." Evelyn responded.

"Speaking of which, we should warn you that you will be running the gamut of media when the day arrives," Stephen eyed them. "no matter how small the ceremony is, there always will be people lined up around the block to see you and the like. Best you should know that as soon as possible."

"We know, Dad."

"This is wonderful. After the wedding we can go straight to Daffodil House for the honeymoon." Murdoch folded up the paper and put it away. Evelyn nodded with a grin.

"Stephen and I bought the land and had the house built when Emilia here was just 3 years old. We've had many great memories of the place, so now we think it's time that you two make some memories of it, use it how you will." the indirect point of that statement was when they had children that was when they would make new memories of the place. Emilia glanced at Murdoch, who gave her a smile.

"What's that smile for?" Stephen teased, setting his cup on the side table with a little rattle.

"Well, Will and I decided that after we're married of course, we will bless you with grandchildren."

"Lovely!" Evelyn clapped her hands together. "My grandchildren will be on the same side of the ocean as we are!"

"Darling, let's not get too far down the road. The first hurdle is the marriage." Stephen gently admonished her.

"You're right, honey," Evelyn picked up the teacups and put them in the kitchen. "one thing at a time."

"Dad is right, Mom. Now I don't think Daffodil House needs to be remodeled from what I remember. Has Eddie gotten his personal crap out of there?"

"Eddie hasn't been there within the past year. You two haven't been there since before the war started. Everyone's personal affects are off the property except the sailboat."

"When I was there with Emilia she wouldn't get into the sailboat," Murdoch remembered, a grin flitting across his face. "I tried and I went out in it solo, caught some fish and that was it."

"Ah!" Stephen trumpeted. "Did you find Emerson Cove out there? Wonderful spot."

"I did, Stephen. Beautiful spot, full of fish."

Emilia hated to interrupt their merry chatter but she had to ask her mother something. "Come with me for a moment, Mom? Help me out in the kitchen for a moment?"

"Of course, dear." the matriarch rose from her seat and followed her daughter into the kitchen.

"I wanted to ask more about Alphonse," Emilia picked up the dishes and pumped water onto them from the spout. Setting a small kettle on the stovetop, she sat and waited for the water to boil so she could scrub up the dishes and cups. "did he really murder my sister?"

"Darling, I thought we went over this," Evelyn sat down next to Emilia at the table and put her arm around her. "Alphonse admitted to the murder so what doubt could remain? He's locked up and he will get his sentencing any day now. You know the public adores you and they are baying for his blood. I would bet my boots that he will be hanged."

"I guess a part of me doesn't want to believe that he was capable of all that. He was my confidante for many years, Mom. It still gives me nightmares and I often think what if he killed me instead of Sarah?"

Evelyn paled and then hugged her daughter forcefully. "Enough of that thought, my dear. I want you to do your best and put this whole mess behind you. Can you do that?"

"I can try."

"That's better than nothing." her mother encouraged her. "Sarah's been avenged, we know who leaked you and Will to the press, what else is there to do but plan for the wedding?"

"Right," the kettle was boiling by now so Emilia took it off the stovetop and poured some of the hot water into the sink so she could scrub the cups. "in the meantime, Mom, I was thinking about gingham or taffeta for my wedding dress..."

When 8 PM came, Evelyn and Stephen bade their goodbyes to the happy couple. Stephen had received a gold pocketwatch from them with his initials on it, Evelyn had a brand new emerald and gold bracelet Emilia had designed for her. The gold had been sculpted to look like vines and leaves around small emerald stones set into it. Evelyn was perfectly happy to have it, showering her daughter and future son-in-law with thanks.

"Whew!" Murdoch said as he shut the door behind the couple. "I always thought that your mother would be a cold-hearted bitch, but she's proved me dead wrong."

"She's a little aloof with strangers, Will. You grew on her and she's happy with you."

"Sure your parents don't mind you marrying a penniless merchant marine officer?" he stepped up behind her as she let her hair down from its usual braided knot.

"You're not penniless and you have a promising career with a good future ahead of you," Emilia corrected him, unbuttoning her peacoat. "I for one am proud of you and I could have done much worse."

"Hey!" Murdoch paused when she started laughing, obviously razzing him. "Is this an early onset of that spousal abuse I keep hearing of?"  
"No, it's called Emilia abuse. You're not used to it yet?"

"Do I need to be?"

"It helps." she teased.

"Oh, you get into bed without any supper! You've been so naughty today!" he shot back, chasing her into the bedroom and slamming the door.

* * *

The months between December and May were uneventful. Murdoch went on several sea voyages but became more disillusioned when he and Lightoller compared notes and saw that they would not rise any higher than chief officer on board the ships. He confided his woes to Emilia who grew angry on his behalf. While he and Lightoller were away on another voyage, the princess and Sylvia went down to the White Star Line offices and demanded to see Lord Pirrie, the owner of the line.

Through much anger and consternation on both of their parts, the point was taken that both officers and indeed all who had survived Titanic were worthy of promotion and their own commands. The women managed to extract a promise out of the old man to see to it that the officers were promoted duly as their record permits, not because of one notorious disaster. A counterpoint was offered that the passengers might not want to sail with an officer that was on board the Titanic, but Emilia and Sylvia had swiftly countered that if they were on that ship and survived, they would be more than capable in helping out in another disaster if need be. Emilia threatened to use her royalty status to bring public awareness to how badly the White Star Line was treating the remaining Titanic officers if something was not done to remedy the situation.

During the month of April, Emilia was fitted for her dress several times, she spent some time on designing the rings that they would wear, and planned out the decorations for the church and the reception. Her family was big and so was Murdoch's, so they would just about fill Westminster altogether.

Evelyn planned the supper with some input from Emilia and Murdoch, pulling together a nautical theme for the reception. Randal came in from California three days before the wedding with his children and wife, staying at the estate in Southampton. Emilia went to greet them the day after arrival and she was pleased to see her older brother hadn't changed a bit.

Randal had the same facial structure as their father, the blonde hair of their grandfather, and he had the mannerisms of Stephen like Emilia did. His wife was fair, pale skinned with dark brown eyes. The children were a fair mixture of both of their parents and were very well behaved.  
Finally the big day arrived. Emilia's mother and sister-in-law helped her dress, the latter being skilled with hairstyling.

"Bridget, you are amazing," Emilia commented. Bridget had done a half up and half down hairstyle for her, knotting the hair on top so it was out of her face and the lower part of the hair had been curled and knotted until the very end of her wavy mane touched her shoulders. Evelyn agreed, handing her daughter a tube of lipstick. "how did you learn all of this?"

"I went to a beauty school," Bridget rubbed a lotion onto Emilia's face. "spent years doing other people's hair and that's where I met Randal."

"You do this wonderfully, dear," Evelyn picked up a powder brush and handed it to her. "Emilia has to look like a real knockout on her wedding day!"

"Mom, please. Will loves me because of my personality. My looks are just icing on the cake," Emilia drew on a line of lipstick and allowed

Bridget to put some eyeshadow on. A very small amount of rouge was used on her cheeks and she turned to the dress hanging on a closet rack.

Bridget and Evelyn helped her into her corset, tightening it a bit, then Bridget secured the underskirt of the dress, buttoning it securely.  
"Were you going to use a bustle?"

"Hell no!" Emilia swore. "Bustles and hoopskirts can go the way of the dinosaur! Bustles make my ass look big!"

Evelyn gave her a stern look about her cussing and Bridget tried hard not to grin. On went the beautiful dress, a white number with a very small train. The dress had dropped sleeves, a plunging neckline, and a small band of blue silk sewn around the neckline.

"Something new and blue," Bridget commented, bringing Emilia a little package. "I wore this on my wedding day and I hope it brings you luck."  
Emilia took the square of tissue paper and opened it up. Inside was a pair of blue sapphire teardrop earrings with three diamonds around them. "Past, present, future," Bridget said unnecessarily as she fastened them into her sister-in-law's ears. "you look wonderful in them."  
"Aw, thank you."

"And now for the something old," Evelyn announced, bringing a pine box into the room. She set it down on the vanity with a dull thud, unlatched the box, then pulled forth the most beautiful tiara that Emilia had ever seen. "it was your great-grandmother Maybelle's and she wanted it handed down through the generations. Now it's your turn."

The tiara was antiquated but it sure didn't look it. Emilia sat down at her vanity in revered silence as her mother fastened the glittering ornament to her daughter's head. The tallest part of the tiara was at the very center of her forehead now, jutting up about two and a half inches. Decorative curlicues and scrolls ornamented it heavily as it dazzled in the light of the room.

"Now for the veil." Bridget expertly fastened the vein to Emilia's twisted mass of hair so it was held in securely.

"Well come on now!" Emilia stood up, nearly tripping over her skirt. "Will might be gone by the time we show up!"

The two ladies glanced at each other, knowing that Emilia was giddy and a bundle of nervousness. Bridget shook her head and smiled while Evelyn pulled on her hat. The matriarch of the family was wearing a pale purple dress reminiscent of springtime, Bridget wore a light yellow dress.

The bridal party made a grand entrance to Westminster, Emilia waving to the throngs of people shouting their congratulations. Some looked a bit dismayed by the fact she did not have a long train attached to her dress, but that was how she wanted it. At the entrance to Westminster, Stephen, in his best suit and top hat, greeted his daughter with a peck on the cheek and his wide smile.

"I've dreaded and looked forward to this moment for years." he said cheekily as Evelyn rolled her eyes. Randal came up to them, allowing Bridget to claim his arm. Evelyn, her son and daughter-in-law went forth to claim their seats. Stephen handed Emilia her bouquet of roses and dahlias and as soon as the music began, they opened up the doors and walked forth.

Murdoch was in his best uniform with his groomsmen Lightoller, Lowe, Boxhall, Pitman, not to mention his male siblings. His parents were dressed in their best in the front row, grinning and giving him looks of support and encouragement. His wedding to Ada had been just a minister and a witness; this was far in the other direction.

With a sudden pang, he thought of Ada at that moment, casting a furtive glance to Lightoller who knew what he was thinking. His best friend gave him a tiny nod, meaning don't dwell on it, and he understood well enough. She was gone, Emilia was in his life now, and he was marrying her.

The organ music started, startling him a little bit, then the procession down the aisle seemed to take forever. As nervous as he was, there was some tradition involved, but he just wanted to get it over with so he could relax with his love.

When Emilia appeared, he forgot everything else and just focused on her. She looked lovely to his eyes, radiant, grinning from ear to ear. Her veil was over her face so he didn't see her clearly, but the way she appeared to him was a feast for his eyes.

Stephen answered the question asked by the minister, who asked if he was giving away his daughter. Emilia had an issue with that question as she didn't like being given away like she was property, but for the sanity of her mother's sake, she reluctantly kept it in. It was an expression anyway, but she still didn't like it.

Murdoch and Emilia turned to face the minister who performed the ceremony with a touch of humor to break the tension. After what seemed like a lifetime, Murdoch drew back the veil and kissed his bride as the applause crashed in waves around them.

It seemed like the couple was walking on air as they went next door to the reception hall which Edward had decked out in his festive best. For several hours they had loads of fun, dancing, singing, gossiping. There were several toasts to the happy couple, lighthearted teasing, and more dancing. Emilia and Murdoch threw the bouquet and the garter amid cheering and good natured joking. Pitman had the garter and one of the family relatives had the bouquet.

Emilia had slyly remarked to her now husband that he better be glad that she didn't make him take the garter off of her with her teeth, making him blush. He shot back that they should have practiced doing that in private, making her color up.

The guests left their gifts on a table for the couple, Emilia and Murdoch thanked everyone and saw them out the door as Randal and Edward stayed behind to pack up the towncar with their loot as they called it. Evelyn had a list of who had brought gifts and Emilia would work on sending out thank you cards soon. The gifts would be awaiting them on their return from their honeymoon.

"So where are you two going anyway?" Randal asked.

"Your father has given us passage to a little villa on the Mediterranean coast," Murdoch replied as he took off his hat. "we will be there for a week."

"Very nice," Edward approved with a smile. "I hope you have great fun out there."

"We will. Ready, darling?" he had changed out of his best uniform and was in chinos and a white shirt. Emilia came towards him, dressed in a white and yellow checked gingham skirt, yellow blouse with belled sleeves, and her light jacket was over one arm.

"Yes, when you are, love," she could finally call him that without it being inappropriate. Murdoch kissed her amid her brothers' friendly taunting, then both left the hall. The media reporters had actually gone home for the night, though Emilia and Murdoch had packed their things two days ago to be ready to leave.

Stephen brought them to the train which would make the trek over, they boarded in the private car usually reserved for foreign visiting dignitaries. Both of the newlyweds were too tired to consummate the marriage that night, saying that it would be better when they were at the villa in total privacy.

The train chugged along at 60 MPH and during the time to their destination, they just sat down and talked. It was impossible to do much else on a moving train, so they talked or read books. Each day the cafe car would bring them food, the conductor would stop by twice a day to make sure they were comfortable.

Emilia personally found the train car claustrophobic and grossly overdone. There was a chandelier, which should have been outlawed on trains in her opinion. All the windows were nailed shut and she was a bit irritated at that as well. An electric space heater like the ones on Titanic were there for their usage which saw some service but not much. The Mediterranean coast, balmy warm even on a cool spring evening in Britain, beckoned to them and they soon found themselves under the charm of the place.

* * *

"It's beautiful here, Will!" Emilia took off her peacoat when they entered the little one bedroom hacienda. Murdoch took their suitcases inside as he surveyed the place. There was no need for a fireplace, there was a small kitchen, a big bedroom, and a living area, not to mention the essential bathroom. The entire place was decorated in muted yellow, soft cream tones, and a very light brown. Portraits of the seascape dotted the walls, the bedroom had a small veranda where they could eat breakfast in the morning. Emilia had seen that the cupboards were stocked with food and linen.

"Beautiful," he echoed as he sat down on the couch, seeing the big picture windows facing the beach as the water of the Mediterranean lapped calmly at the shore. "wow, look at all the sailboats going by!" a flock of seabirds flapped past, squawking loudly.

"Nice, eh? We can rent a rowboat or something to that effect once we're settled down here." Emilia opened up the side window and breathed in the air, content. Undoing her hair braid, she let it flutter in the wind gently as a zephyr came in through the window and caressed her tresses.

"Oh, do you think we'll be doing much of that?" Murdoch licked his lips as he eyed her.

"Well well, I thought you'd want to relax!" Emilia teased as he grabbed her around the waist and yanked her down on his lap. The princess giggled boldly as Murdoch eyed her with very obvious sexual hunger in his stare. She was in a mood to tease him which she knew he would endure for only a little while.

"That's all we were doing on the train car, love. We're alone with privacy now. There's only one thing I want to do and I suspect you want to do it as well." he trailed his hands down her shapely figure, tugging on her corset edge.

"Oh gee, what would that be?" Emilia smirked.

"Don't make me spell it out for you."

"You know, I don't know how to spell!"

"Really? I find lessons are best learned by an example," Murdoch wriggled a bit as Emilia allowed him to hitch up her dress. "say we were going to the zoo," he brought his right hand down underneath her hemline. "and you wanted to get a map of the general area before you went in to discover which habitat you'd want to tour first," Emilia jumped slightly as he traced his hand over her butt and moved his hand further forward. "just to get a general feel of the area..."

"Will, what the hell are you doing?" feigning exasperation, she knew exactly what Murdoch was up to. He had done similar things to her before so it definitely wasn't new.

"You wanted a lesson," he stared at her innocently, wide blue eyes devoid of any knowledge of wrongdoing. "so you're getting one."

"Oh, is that what this is?"

"Yes, now pipe down or you'll get a detention."

"Yes sir." Emilia giggled.

"To resume before we were interrupted, a general feel of the area is necessary to have maximum enjoyment," the princess felt a slight tugging. "then when you're sure that you will have a great time watching the... badgers, you'll decide you want to feed them by hand," there was a slight shift and not a coldness this time but a gentle warmth as Emilia closed her eyes. "so one of the buggars sniffs your hand and drools all over your palm looking for food." Emilia smirked to herself. "you walk off a bit but the bastard still chases you, wanting more." his hips bucked up involuntarily. "When you give it more, it still wants more. It's a two way street and when you get tired of it eventually, the badger will still press you for more." they built up a steady rhythm and it escalated without hardly any effort at all. Emilia panted, silently wishing that Murdoch would shut up about badgers. They worked together for a few more minutes then she cried out Murdoch's name like she usually did.

"Then the badger finally leaves you alone." he kissed her nose fondly as she pushed back the hair from her now sweaty face.

"Um, Will, did you-"

"Not yet," Emilia felt something strange. "there! We're all through with that for now."

"That was an odd feeling," she commented. "never had it before."

"No, you wouldn't. Before we were married I would.. stop the geyser before it started."

"That explains no surprises," Emilia stood up, pulling her skirts back down. "you're so considerate."

"Not any more in that regard!" he kissed her deeply. "Now what do you say we go rent us a boat, eh?"

"Sure. We can have a picnic on that island over there tomorrow."

"What do you want to do now then?"

"I want to have a swim!" Emilia jumped up and shed her shirt and overskirt. "That water is beckoning to me and I want to be in it. Come on, Will."

"Wanna jump in naked?"Murdoch peeled off her underskirt and flung it on the couch. Emilia had been wearing underclothing so he didn't get a peek like he thought he would.

"Come on," she pulled him over the back door where there was a private lagoon. "unlace me." he pulled the laces on her corset slack so she could slip out of it. "Go strip down Will, while I do the same."

"Right!" the officer stripped down in the living room, wrapping himself in his robe. Outside the lagoon beckoned to him as he stepped down the back porch stairs. He cast aside his robe on a rock, waded into the lagoon, then sat down on a rock. His shoulders were about three inches above the water while he was sitting and Murdoch eagerly anticipated his new bride coming down the stairs and joining him in the nude as well.

He didn't have to wait long. Emilia teased him a bit using her most sensuous voice, taking her robe off and posing for him in all her naked beauty.

"You look wonderful." was all Murdoch said as Emilia waded in and joined him.

"It's so beautiful here." ferns and other plants completely blocked them from view of any prying eyes, a small waterfall bubbled nearby, and she was with the most wonderful man. Murdoch put his arm around her as she kissed him deeply and started necking him. "This place does something to me."

"It does to me too," he admitted. "we can throw off society, work, duty, you name it, and we can just have fun."

"Is that an invitation?" she teased, splashing in the water coyly.

"It's a guarantee."

* * *

"Dear Will;

"It's been a week and I know you've been in transit for most of the time, but I want to know how it is going. Sylvia and I had such fun at the reception, we loved the ceremony, you were very dapper in your official Royal Navy uniform and the bar you achieved for seeing combat. Emilia was such a pretty sight with that beautiful gown and hairdo. I understand her sister-in-law did that? Very talented lady.

"It was great to be able to bring our children along and not worry about childcare. For the children of the attendees the nanny service downstairs was a great thing so we could relax and enjoy ourselves.

"So how have you been in the Mediterranean? Have you been mostly indoors or mostly outdoors?

"Do write soon, Will. I hope you and Emilia have a great time out there.

"I'm off to command a new White Star Liner, the Germanic. I hear she was given to us because of the war and she's undergone a complete outfitting at the Harland and Wolff docks, so I'm off to join up with her at the end of the week in Ireland. Also there is talk of a command for you when you get back to work. A little present from the good old White Star Line after Emilia threatened to make a fuss over how they treated their officers. Remember that? I think she's the ship's officer's patron.

"Remember me to her if you get a minute.

"Fondly, Charles."

* * *

"Dear Charles;

"Will is out on the lake fishing at the moment and I stumbled upon your letter. Not to disturb your sensibilities (if you still have any), but Will and I have barely had our clothes on the entire time we've been here! Just about as soon as we got here we had a.. session on the couch (Will was talking about badgers and trying to give me a lesson or something), then once in the lagoon pool and again yesterday when we went out to an island to picnic lunch.

"We did decide we want children and that will come in due time. It is frowned upon in this day and age to have children so soon after marriage but I say any time after a couple of months is all right by me. You know that I don't stick to convention very much any way.

"Briefly did Will and I consider to honeymoon at Daffodil House, but we wanted someplace we'd never been before so the Mediterranean seemed like just the thing. Dad set it all up and we could not be happier. I plan to send a wire to my dad soon to let him know how much we love it here.

"So how's it been up there in merry old Southampton town?

"The very happy and pleased Emilia."

* * *

The week flew by as time progressed. Murdoch and Emilia consummated their marriage several times and all over the property. With the societal constraints gone from them like a pair of handcuffs, the pair were free to frolic and do whatever they wanted with reckless ambition. Picnicking on the island twice, they went for each other like moths towards a flame. One memorable night they camped out on the island as both of them were feeling adventurous. It was so warm out there they did not pitch a tent at all, but made up bed pallets on the sandy beach.

**ARTICLE FROM THE SOUTHAMPTON GAZETTE:**

"On May 10th 1919, Emilia Audrey Frances Worthington married Mr. William McMaster Murdoch. The bride's father, Stephen and mother Evelyn, complete with siblings Randal and Edward were in attendance (the sister Sarah died several years ago). The bride wore a custom tailored dress while Mr. Murdoch was in his best Royal Navy dress uniform.

"Mr. Murdoch comes from Dalbeattie in Scotland, his father is a retired sea captain named Samuel, his mother is Jeannie Muirhead, Mr. Murdoch has several siblings, all of which are scattered around Scotland. All of them were in attendance at the wedding along with the officers of the White Star Line, several of which were on the famous Titanic.

"Her royal highness met Mr. Murdoch on the voyage to America for family business aboard the Titanic on a last minute booking. He was assigned to be her bodyguard or contact person on the ship as she was traveling alone. While on the voyage, they developed a friendship which lasted through the years. After the ship sank, each one credited the other for having saved their lives. The voyage inspired her highness to create a new jewelry line, the Lighthouse Collection, which still thrives to this day. Her more higher end line Solara was shut down due to the war.

"Mr. Murdoch had been married at the time that they met, but months after the Titanic sank, his first wife died from a bout with consumption. He had been devastated by her loss, her highness went to his side to console him and help him in his time of need. He had done the same to her after her sister Sarah was murdered on the eve of her own wedding.

"When the war erupted onto British soil, Mr. Murdoch took command of torpedo boats and destroyers, earning him the rank of commander. He was involved with several successful raids and the sinking of one enemy craft. Indeed his friend Mr. CH Lightoller had sunk an enemy U boat as well, earning him the rank of commander too.

"After the war was concluded, her highness and Mr. Murdoch renewed their friendship and upon visiting the Southampton townhouse the family possesses, discovered that her own personal butler Alphonse had murdered her sister. It was a great shock to the family, though reports were thorough and the butler confessed.

"The butler is to be hanged in two weeks' time for his crimes, it being announced just today.

"Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch are off to an undisclosed location for their honeymoon."

* * *

Murdoch and Emilia arrived back from their honeymoon in time to hear that Alphonse was to be hanged within a few hours. Newspaper boys shouted the headlines, saying that the butler was too much of a lunatic to even comprehend his death sentence. Police reported that the man was sitting in his cell jabbering nonsense and looking out the barred window.

"Let's try to see it from a nonbiased view," Murdoch unlocked the door and pushed it open. "I'm not trying to be judgmental or anything-I'm very much on your side. Anyway, Alphonse is in love with you since you offered him a job. He nutures and protects his love for several years but is the consummate professional in his job so he gives nothing away. You both grow and mature over the years and you don't suspect he has feelings for you at all. So when he finally does tell you, you don't believe it. That kind of thing can shock a man senseless though most of them recover, some don't. He can't comprehend the fact that his love for you meant nothing to you at all and that caused him to go to pieces in the end. He might look death as a release from his woes now."

"Oh, Will. I think he's just being himself. I bet he was laudanum addicted like his insane father," Emilia unpacked and put her things together. The front room was crowded with the gifts from the wedding and they had to unwrap and unpack those before they could get settled again. Thankfully the gifts were neatly tagged and identifying the gifter clearly.

"Did you want to witness his execution?"

"God no. I'm squeamish, Will. You know that by now."

"Right. Well, let's adjourn to the kitchen and get these gifts squared away."

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER

Emilia walked into the house in late August, expecting Murdoch to be back at any time. He had gone on a voyage on the Celtic and had disembarked earlier that day. She on the other hand had not been well at all, mostly lightheaded and dizzy.

Sprawling out on the bed, she lay faceup as she watched the sun track down behind the buildings across the street as the town clock struck 4. Closing her eyes, she managed to fall asleep for an hour, when she was roused by the door opening.

"In here," she called Murdoch. "I'm just resting."

"What's going on? You're usually out and about. he came into the room. "You look pale."

"Oh, Will, I'll get better soon."

"How soon is that?"

"About two months."

"That's too long you know."

"Well yes I do know that. But what you don't know is something very simple."

"What is that, love?"

"I'm pregnant."


End file.
